Everything's Different Now
by Juntaine
Summary: A disgraced Jedi has the unique opportunity to redeem herself among a unique culture; the Chiss. On a quest to forget the past, the present threatens both her and the people she's sworn her loyalty to. Pretty much entirely OC. But most of them are Chiss!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe.

Author's Note: Apart from a reference or two, this story revolves around original characters. Please comment, review, etc. I would like feedback on my technique and my story.

* * *

I love long space flights, I really do. Being able to lean back without having the impulse to read the sensor and computer data is quite refreshing. Unfortunately most of the time I can't afford to sit back and enjoy them; usually I'm the one piloting, I'm usually on a schedule, and I usually have to make difficult decisions, all that sort of thing. I had been out of work for only a week or so once Master Luke Skywalker had to pull me off duty but after the past few months worth of problems, I finally had time to myself.

Being the product of Jedi and Mandalorian training, I had never been keen on following established rules especially when it was quite clear they had to be broken. Apparently, certain beings in power disagreed. I hadn't intended for my actions to reflect so badly on the Jedi Order: it all made sense if you knew what could have happened if I hadn't done what I did. It was to Master Skywalker's credit that I wasn't executed.

Even thinking about it weeks later I got a heavy uncomfortable feeling in my belly. It was too soon to start remembering, what I needed to do now was forget. Master Skywalker had found the perfect opportunity for me after the Chiss government had contacted him requesting a Jedi presence at one of their research facilities. Master Skywalker prepared a message to be given to my commander upon arrival that detailed what he, as essentially the representative of the New Republic, hoped to gain from this. The chance to be away from New Republic reach was…perfect. It was exactly what I wanted. I didn't know much about Chiss at the time, just that their realm was on the fringe of the known galaxy. My perfect get-away.

Before I had left, I collected everything that the Jedi and the New Republic knew about the Chiss; language, culture, hierarchy, politics, anything. I had been glancing over it for several days, but that stuff gets boring quickly. Besides, I wanted to enjoy my solitude and prepare myself.

"Jedi Stiel," called one of the pilots from the cockpit. "We've received a communication from your escort. They'll be meeting you when we land."

"When will that be?" I asked.

"Fifteen minutes."

"Thank you, Captain."

I took a deep breath. Even Jedi get butterflies.

I didn't even know the planet we landed on. It didn't matter. It was merely a stepping-stone where the New Republic ended and the Chiss began. For me, anyways.

Once the pilots had landed our shuttle, I went to gather my meager possessions. It wasn't much; authorized documents for my eventual superiors, some Jedi equipment, a change of clothes, a robe, and one or two small personal items. Once the entry ramp was lowered, I flung my pack over my shoulder and descended.

The docking bay was carved into the side of a cliff overlooking a rather plain forest. Even the rock face bursting upwards on the other side of the ship somehow managed to be unimpressive. Across the platform was a strange ship guarded by two strange beings.

You have to understand that even after the fiasco with Thrawn and then the Swarm Wars and all that, Chiss were still extremely rare in New Republic territory. Sure, you see pictures, holograms, and the occasional bartender, but there's nothing like meeting that crimson gaze eye to eye. I had never seen one in person.

Both figures were rather tall and lean with pale blue skin and blue-black hair. The two Chiss had on dark blue jumpsuits that seemed to lean towards practicality rather than formality. As I got closer, I could see that one was male and the other female. I walked towards them casually and confidently, trying vainly to remember any greetings I should know. Too late now.

"Greetings, I am Jedi Knight Jaiel Stiel."

The female, apparently the one in charge, replied, "Greetings, Jedi Stiel. I am Kres'arya'vidas." Her Basic was accented but clear. Her hands were held behind her back and her dark hair was pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head. Her aura was that of authority. "I trust your journey was uneventful?"

"It was. I thank you for your concern." I gave a small bow.

She returned my bow. "Are those your possessions?"

Shifting my small burden, I nodded. "Yes."

"If you will follow Dreth'avi'sevist," she said, gesturing at the other Chiss who gave a short nod. He was younger with a shock of the same blue-black hair. "He will show you where you can stow your items. I will have a word with your pilots and shall join you shortly."

Dreth'avi'sevist stepped aside and gestured towards the entry ramp. It was hidden directly underneath the craft.

I walked into the ship.

The first thing that struck me was how white the craft was. Everything was bright and very clean to the point that it shined. Dreth'avi'sevist pointed me towards a compartment in the back that contained a small room. The small bed was built into the wall, next to it was a small table bolted to the opposite wall. There was nothing else.

"I hope this is to your liking," he said, his accent stronger and more broken than Kres'arya'vidas.

"This is the best accommodation we can offer."

"It's perfectly fine. I am grateful to the Chiss for going to these measures."

Dreth'avi'sevist smiled. "It is not often we have a guest of your stature."

I returned the smile as I dropped my pack in a corner. "Did you meet any of the Jedi during the Swarm War?"

"I, unfortunately, was not given that privilege. I was still in training."

I then realized he couldn't have been terribly old, probably close to my 23 years. There was a

youthful exuberance to him that was somehow comforting. He seemed fascinated with me and it didn't take Jedi skills to detect the flood of questions he was keeping reined in.

"So, are you the pilot or is your companion?"

"I am just an apprentice, I am learning from Kres'arya'vidas. She has been piloting for many years. It is an honor to learn from her."

"So what are your titles? What do I call you? I'm afraid I'm not terribly familiar with your people."

"I am not worthy of a title. Kres'arya'vidas would be…" he paused. "I'm not sure of the word in Basic."

"I am the Captain of the _Serel_. I would be honored if you would call me by my core name, Sarya," said my pilot as she came around the gentle curvature of the hallway.

"Please call me Jaiel. The Jedi do not stand on formality among friends."

Sarya gave a polite bow. "I hope my apprentice has not been bothering you?"

"On the contrary, he has kindly shown me my quarters and I hope to learn about your people, if he could be spared?" I could feel the excitement emanating from the young Chiss.

"I require his assistance for entry into hyperspace, but after that you may have him," said Sarya with a kind smile.

After ushering him towards the cockpit, I buckled into a seat until we were in space. Sarya gave the all clear over the speaker and it wasn't thirty seconds before her apprentice was at my door.

Dreth'avi'sevist, or Thavis as he wanted to be called, was indeed around my age. He had always wanted to be a pilot so when Sarya, a family friend, was looking for someone to help, he applied immediately. Thavis was modest when describing his skills, but I could tell that he was indeed learning and Sarya didn't seem the type to take on a lost cause.

Thavis told me a bit about his culture, as well, while I tried to extrapolate it's equivalent in the New Republic. I already knew the Chiss were a rather isolated race, only having made contact with the New Republic in the last decade or so. Sarya was actually a pioneer in traversing the distance between outlying Chiss and New Republic systems. From what I had heard, Sarya and Thavis were in the minority when it came to tolerance of outsiders. Even during the Swarm War, the Chiss had only interacted with my people as necessary. It sounded like fitting in was going to be a chore. I was fine with that; it sure beat staying in the New Republic where I already knew everyone disliked me.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe

* * *

Our flight lasted a good part of a day. The _Serel_ was not equipped for meals per se, but her crew graciously parted with a few of their simple ration meals. It was not something I could even begin to describe except to say that it was chewy and with enough sweet flavor as to make it not unpleasant. Other than that, it's ingredients and recipe were completely unknown to me.

Sarya let Thavis bring the ship out of hyperspace and called me to the cockpit. A courtesy, I gathered, to let me see my destination and then prepare myself. I was grateful for the gesture. After taking a seat behind Thavis, I peered out at the growing planet.

Tesar was a newly colonized planet. Its outpost was relatively new, having been occupied for only a matter of months. The military was occupying it at the moment; the Chiss Expansionary and Defense Fleet, I think. My role, upon arrival, was rather vague, but I was essentially an exchange officer brought in to learn and to promote communication and diplomatic relations between our two governments. Lofty goals, considering I wasn't exactly the diplomatic type.

Outside the cockpit viewport, it looked like any old lush planet. Actually Endor was brought to mind. I'd never set foot on the moon, but I'd seen it from orbit a few times and, of course, heard about it from my mother. I was happy with it; it was better than their home world of Csilla rumored to be covered in ice.

"The base is by that large sea right there," said Sarya, pointing. I looked past Thavis who was concentrating as he guided the ship. The landscape was snowy but I could see the dark blue shape of the lake.

"It's not the most comfortable or pretty place, but it's well equipped and supply ships come once a month with anything the stationed personnel require," Sarya continued.

"How many are stationed there?"

"You'll have to ask your commanding officer. I would guess a few hundred, including the scientists."

"Do you know who the commanding officer is?"

Sarya shrugged. "I don't pay that close attention. The Aristocracy is trying to figure out how successful and useful this outpost is going to be and so they keep changing the commanding officer accordingly. I believe, however, that a new one was transferred there since we were last there."

That made sense. They'd only place their top officers there if it were a priority. Otherwise, it could be the dumping ground for any failed soldiers.

"We have clearance to land, estimated arrival in five minutes," said Thavis.

After landing, Sarya and Thavis accompanied me to the front entrance of the outpost. I shivered in the cold. It was early morning, the base apparently just starting to come alive.

It was a rather plain building, seemingly built from bricks mixed with Chiss ship hull designs. An outer wall of the same mixture of technology surrounded it. From where we stood, the overall size of the complex didn't seem to be terribly extensive. However, there was a possibility that some of it was underground, in which case it could easily have been twice the size I was estimating.

Past the outer wall, a guard glanced at our identifications before letting us through. Inside we were led through some twists and turns to a rather small and plain office. Behind the desk was a distinguished older Chiss male, gray seeping into his short blue-black hair. His face reminded me of the men who had lived through the Rebellion against the Empire of my parents' generation: aged with experience, loss, responsibility, and the burden of beaurocracy.

Sarya said nothing, her attention to the man indicated that he should be the one to speak. Finally, he looked up from his computer terminal. Addressing Sarya, he spoke in Cheunh, the native Chiss language. It was a complicated language; one that humans had great difficulty in learning. I had learned only to identify it when it was spoken.

The two conversed in a calm manner, likely discussing business, so I took the opportunity to observe. Dressed in the black uniform of an Expansionary and Defense Fleet soldier, he sat rigidly in his chair; his desk was organized, everything had a place. The desk job obviously indicated either a secretary job or a high rank. The amount of decoration and the calm narrow-eyed visage made the distinction.

After Sarya had, I assumed, explained my presence, the man at the desk turned to me.

"So, you are the Jedi that Master Skywalker has sent us?" His voice was low and somewhat disinterested, though I understood his Basic easily. His red eyes flickered as he studied me.

"Jedi Knight Jaiel Stiel." The fewer words said, the better, I felt.

"I am Votir'oti'kumvit, you may call me Rotik. This facility is under my command. What has Master Skywalker told you of your mission?"

"As a New Republic representative, I am to observe and participate to the extent of the commanding officer's discretion. Master Skywalker's hope is to promote an exchange of information between our two respective governments. He also mentioned that a Jedi had been requested specifically."

"Yes, the Aristocracy has apparently taken a liking to you Jedi," replied Rotik dryly. "However, an outsider's opinion might well make this facility more efficient. We have plans to make this facility one devoted entirely to research, so perhaps you can offer suggestions to that end."

"I will do what I can," I said.

"Good. Now, you should meet my second in command. I often report back to the Aristocracy in person, so a great deal of my time is not spent here. He's likely in the command center. I'll have one of my officers take you there." Rotik leaned over and pressed a button on his computer terminal. He spoke a few words of Cheunh then turned back to us. "Sarya and I have some business to attend to, so if you excuse me…"

I noticed Sarya give Thavis a nudge. "With respect, sir, I have a few things to discuss with your second in command regarding some military shipments."

Rotik nodded. "Very well."

From behind us, a Chiss warrior stepped into the doorway and motioned Thavis and I to follow him. Figuring he didn't speak Basic, I didn't say anything as we fell into place behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe

* * *

After a few moments, Thavis leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Rotik's not a very good leader, he tends to do whatever he's told by the Ruling Families, regardless of what they say. He's been trying to reduce the number of trips Sarya and I make while cutting our wages as well." He grinned. "They argue often but she always wins."

I glanced at our escort, but he was several paces ahead of us and didn't seem to be paying attention; furthering my assumption that several of the Chiss here didn't speak Basic. Despite that, I knew better than to rely on my assumptions.

"So what can you tell me of this second in command? And what rank does everyone have here? I'm not familiar with the system," I asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot help, I have no frame of reference from your military to offer any comparison. Rotik is in overall command; he has been in many battles and has won many awards. There are few who can outrank him."

"Sounds like a General."

"Perhaps. His second in command is in charge of the facility while Rotik is away, like he said. He has more direct control over the military force here and usually leads them in battle."

"Hmm, that's a harder one. Perhaps a Commander or a Colonel."

Thavis shrugged, completely unfamiliar with my terms. "This…Commander is new, he has just transferred recently. Sarya wants me to meet him in case we ever have to discuss something with the base commander and Rotik is not here."

"Transferred? What happened to whoever came before him?"

"I do not know. It is possible that she was promoted or simply moved to another outpost."

I was getting a sense of the political presence here, but was interrupted by the abrupt halt of our guide in front of a large doorway. The huge blast-proof doors were open and upon passing through we found ourselves standing on a landing overlooking a very busy command center.

Our guide paused a moment to locate the commander. My Jedi senses picked him up first; he was hard to miss. Even though everyone was attending their duties, each person knew exactly where he was; for me, they acted like a beacon to his presence. I followed the furtive glances to a figure bent over a computer terminal at the opposite side of the control room. He was addressing two subordinates. His back was to us.

I followed our guide as he made his way down the steps off the landing and weaved his way through them. Approaching the commander, our guide tapped him on the shoulder then stood at attention as the man straightened then turned.

He was moderately tall, lean, and had an unmistakable air of command about him. Calm and almost relaxed, he seemed to know absolutely everything going on in the room. It was unlikely that our entrance had gone unnoticed.

A low tenor voice said something in Cheunh. I figured it must have been something quick, like "What is it" or "Yes?" Our soldier guide answered for us. The commander turned his gaze to me, looking at me through half-closed blazing red eyes.

"You are the Jedi then?" Although not as well versed in Basic as Sarya, his accent was slight. He spoke directly, as typical of a soldier, but I detected a hint of disappointment and mild irritation.

"I am."

"You have proof of identification?"

"I have my orders from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker plus supporting documents from New Republic officials. I have already spoken to your superior." I produced a pad from my pack and handed it to him. Accepting it, his gaze rested on my face for a moment longer before he glanced down at the pad. He turned to our guide, asked him a question. Apparently satisfied with the answer, he handed the pad back to me.

"Very well, all seems to be correct. I am Selic'orv'aulis. You will be under my command. Any orders I give, I expect to be obeyed. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Commander."

"Good. Now, if there's anything else…"

"Actually," I interrupted. "If you please, what is your core name? I cannot pronounce your full name."

A corner of his mouth curled up in amusement. "You may call me Corva. Cassr'aul'tessit will escort you to your living quarters. I will be expecting your presence in the morning. Someone will be sent to bring you here."

Turning to Thavis, he resumed speaking in Cheunh. I was obviously dismissed. Cassr'aul'tessit showed me out. I noticed how he had used my guide's full name despite what I had said. I was going to have so much fun here.

My living quarters turned out to be quite pleasant. They were considerably warmer than my reception by the base commander. Not that I was expecting anything less.

I spent the rest of the day unpacking and exploring my quarters. While not as smooth and artificial as my room on the _Serel_, there were similar architectural similarities. There was a dominant pattern of smooth surfaces, sharp corners, and simplicity I found enjoyable and rather aesthetically pleasing.

In what I called the living room, there was a table bolted into the wall with two matching chairs. There was a small couch and a computer terminal that refused to accept anything I did. A small window in the bedroom and a larger one off the living room looked out over the lake. Sarya had been quite accurate; it wasn't the most luxurious of buildings, but the view was quite lovely.

I laid out everything from my pack out on my bed. My clothes went into a small dresser built into the wall. Some pads with important information went on the living room table. I kept my Jedi equipment and my blaster in my pack then put it on the floor next to my bed. I wouldn't be using any of it, more than likely, but I preferred to have it handy just in case.

I had been lying on my bed thinking when I heard a chime. Confused, I sat up then realized it was coming from the door. I went to answer it, which was difficult until I figured out how to open it.

"Greetings," said a grinning Thavis. "I am done with all my errands and I want to see how you are doing."

"I'm doing relatively well," I replied, and invited him in. Thavis stepped forward then hissed in amazement.

"It is large."

I laughed. "It's plenty of room for one person. You're used to your quarters on the _Serel_, this would certainly be much larger."

After giving him a short tour, we sat at the living room table.

"You are going to like it here, I hope?" asked Thavis.

I shrugged. "I'm here for business, of course, so my comfort is not a priority. But, I think if I can get Commander Corva to like me, I should be okay."

Thavis gave a sort of wriggle. "Commander Corva is a hard man, although he seems fair and good at what he does. He is also too…I do not know the word."

"Mean? Brusque? Insensitive?" I offered.

"Perhaps all of those."

"And you? You didn't seem too happy about having to talk to him."

"It was my duty," he said with a shrug. Then he grinned. "But I was rather nervous.

"However, I should get going," he continued, standing up. "Sarya and I have more unloading to do and we have to take next month's orders."

"When will you be coming this way again?"

He paused. "I imagine in a month. Why?"

"Well, I'll be working a lot and I don't know anyone. It would be nice to see a familiar face once in a while."

A grin burst on his face again. "I would be happy to visit you when I come. You can help me perfect my Basic."

"I would be glad to help, although you speak it very well. I know a few other languages too, if you'd like to try your hand at that. Could help you in your future shipping career if you decide to trade within the limits of the New Republic."

"I would be most grateful!" he exclaimed. I almost laughed as his exuberance. "I look forward to seeing you next month!"

I was glad Thavis thought of me as a friend. He seemed so much younger than me. When I thought about everything I've done and everything he had yet to see, I felt…well, old. It was an odd and rather unpleasant feeling. Still, Thavis was an excellent companion.

Now, I had to settle down and prepare myself for the next day. I had no idea what to expect, so I tried to keep an open mind. Unfortunately open minds don't keep away the butterflies.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe

* * *

Sometime in the late afternoon, Cassr'aul'tessit returned. In heavily accented but understandable Basic, he told me he was to show me to the mess hall for dinner. I was surprised, partly from the gesture, but mostly by the fact that he spoke Basic. He went on to inform me that he knew Basic well enough; he just chose not to speak it.

The mess hall was standard enough. Somehow Chiss mess hall food was as ambiguous and tasteless as any I had ever had. Cassr'aul'tessit sat with me and answered all my questions, although reservedly.

Rault, as he allowed me to call him, was actually pleasant company. He told me a bit about what I was to expect in the morning and about what life at the outpost was like. After dinner, he walked me back to my living quarters. I persuaded him to show me some of the gadgets and such in my room before he left. I found out how to use the alarm, the odd shower attachment, and the computer terminal. He hadn't expected to be drafted into showing me around, but like a good soldier he had accepted his duty. Nice guy, overall.

After a restless night – no surprise there – I woke to the screaming alarm built into the wall above my head. Slapping it off, I lay there for a few minutes before getting up.

It was just starting to dawn outside. Wrapping myself up in my cloak, I sat down on the couch and watched the sun come up. On many of my missions, I had found dawn to be the best time for my meditations. I could meditate better if I was looking at something, and the quiet of dawn usually proved to be the best and only time of the day I could meditate uninterrupted. The icy calmness of the lake was particularly soothing.

After about an hour, I showered, changed, and went to the mess hall for breakfast. After a particularly tasteless meal, I returned to my room and waited for Rault.

When the door chimed, I was ready to go. Rault was wearing a freshly pressed uniform, which I had decided was that of a Lieutenant.

"Good morning," he said blandly. "If you'll come with me…"

I followed him down the hallway, memorizing our route as we went along. The living quarters were on the opposite end of the outpost from the command center. Although the outline of the building was angular, as most New Republic architecture was, the hallways were curved. Upon reaching the control room doorway, I refused to let myself pause and prepare. All I had to do was show up for work.

We approached Commander Corva. He wasn't far from where I had seen him the previous day, and if I didn't know better I'd say he hadn't left. It wasn't that his appearance was frumpy; in fact, his uniform was clean and wrinkle-free. He just had that look of a commander who never leaves his post. It was a good quality to have, really; subordinates will usually take to an officer who seems to be working as hard as they are. Although from those furtive glances, I wondered if perhaps he drove his subordinates to the lengths he drove himself. A commander with high expectations more often than not is disappointed. It remained to be seen what sort of environment I would be entering.

Corva was leaning on the back of a chair, one leg bent, one straight, staring at something on the computer monitor in front of him. I stood slightly behind Rault as he walked up and stood, waiting for the commander to notice him.

It took a moment for Corva to finish what he was reading. He touched a corner of the monitor and it went blank. Turning around he addressed us.

"On time, I see," he said to me dryly. I said nothing. "As this is your first day, some allowances must be made. I have asked all those under my command to speak in your language so as to make our work progress more smoothly. However, not all of us are fluent in your tongue."

"I'm sure I'll manage," I replied.

He grunted. "I have assigned you to assist one of our civilian engineers, Drim'ner'sechis; Nersec. He is in the process of reconstructing our equipment. Rault will take you to him, then he must return to his regular duties."

"I understand."

"Very well. Dismissed."

I gave him a curt nod then turned on my heel to follow Rault.

Nersec turned out to be a kind middle aged Chiss with a love of technology. As Rault and I approached him, Nersec bumped his head on whatever it was he was investigating the underside of and then came out with an enormous grin on his pale blue face.

He said some kind of Cheunh greeting which Rault answered uninterestedly. Rault then made some comment that must have clued Nersec as to my identity. The red eyes traveled my direction.

"Ah, so you are the Jedi," he said. "Well, come over here and I will show you what I am working on." He gave a nod to Rault who turned and left.

I crawled under the contraption alongside Nersec. "So, what does this thing do?"

The next thing I knew, everyone was pausing for the lunch break. I was surprised at how fast time had flown; Nersec's enthusiasm could make the dullest job quite pleasurable. Still, I had learned a lot about Nersec's adaptations to the Chiss equivalent; specifically, long-ranged weaponry. Instead of projecting an energy burst like our ion cannons, they launch shock nets that trap any ship within so many kilometers.

Despite having been constructed several years before, most of the bases' defenses were barely functional if even set up. He was excited about the power yield that had been eluding him for weeks, but such force would rarely be used unless a large-scale attack was already underway.

We were still underneath his unfinished shock cannon when I started to regret not eating more at breakfast. Finally, Nersec looked over at me with that grin still plastered on his face. "Shall we take lunch? It is about time for a break, I feel."

"I agree. Poking around one of your missiles can sure built up an appetite."

He laughed. "I imagine your cafeterias are better suited for addressing that than ours."

My turn to laugh. "Not particularly. It must be a galactic constant."

"Let's go before there is none left." Standing up, Nersec offered me a hand.

After grabbing a portion of the allegedly edible substances, Nersec and I found a seat together. He had warned me against their imported fruit juice, which tended to go bad during transport, so I drank water like him. It at least was local and filtered.

"So what do you think of our work here?" he asked casually.

I shrugged. "It's a bit early to say, really. So far, it's been quite enjoyable and I am learning, but I think the Commander has no intention of making it easy for me."

"The "Commander," as you call him, doesn't allow easy."

"He sounds like a good leader," I said, watching Nersec's reaction.

He sighed. "He is. This post is not old but we've already had too many commanders. Selic'orv'aulis is competent and a hard worker." His response was guarded, but I detected only respect.

"What about Votir…uh, Rotik. He outranks Corva, does he not?" Again I observed his reaction.

"Rotik…" replied Nersec, rolling the name around his tongue as if to decide it's taste. "Rotik is the political element. While he is our only link to the Ascendancy, he isn't here enough to know what goes on."

He refused to say anymore about the subject.

After the lunch break was over, we joined the mob of people that were returning to work. Once back in the lab, Nersec grinned.

"Would you like to see the alarm systems we've been working on?"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe

* * *

At the end of the day, I was dirty, tired, and immensely grateful for Nersec's boundless energy. Without it, I'm not sure I would have lasted. In a way, he reminded me of an older Thavis, something I found refreshing and rejuvenating.

Chiss work longer than most New Republic organizations that I was aware of; I guess it could have something to do with their ice planet origins, but regardless, they work hard all day long. It also might have to do with the fact that Tesar's rotation was slower than I was used to; there were more hours in a day.

As we cleaned up his lab, Nersec put his hand on my shoulder. "If you continue to be this helpful in the future, I might have a word with Commander Selic'orv'aulis and have you transferred here permanently."

I returned his smile. "It would be nice. However, I would like to see what else goes on and learn as much as I can. Plus, I imagine the Commander has his own agenda for me."

"That is likely," he replied, shrugging. Suddenly his eyes shifted and he dropped his hand off my shoulder. "And here he is now."

I turned to where he was facing and saw Commander Corva walking towards us. The lab was empty; everyone else had gone home.

"Commander Selic'orv'aulis, may I be of service?" asked Nersec, straightening noticeably. He was not a member of the military, but I had noticed that everyone – civilian and military – showed the same professional respect to their superiors.

Corva waved his hand idly. "No, you are free to go. I need to have a word with Jedi Stiel."

"As you wish," replied Nersec. He bowed at the waist then as he left threw me a friendly glance over his shoulder. I gave him a half smile then turned my attention to the Commander.

"Walk with me." One of those orders disguised as a request. I quickly fell into step next to him.

"I apologize for not speaking with you earlier. Many tasks are behind schedule and I have not had the time."

"I understand. I've heard about the recent changes in command. That alone can set you back months."

Corva grunted, apparently in agreement.

A moment passed in silence.

"I would like you to work with Nersec for the rest of the week. After that, I'll assign you to another section. How long is your stay projected to be?" he asked.

"There was no defined date, I'm here until you or I decide I am no longer needed."

"I see. I will look to your schedule and rotate you through all our departments. After that, we will talk."

Corva stopped. We had reached the living quarters.

"I must return to my office. We will meet at the end of the week."

"Yes sir," I replied. He turned and walked down the hall.

Slightly more welcoming, but each and every time I saw him, I could tell that he didn't feel my presence necessary.

The rest of the week progressed similar to my first day. Nersec showed me much of the Chiss technology and I told him a little bit about how New Republic technology worked. I didn't give him too many details: it wouldn't have impacted the Chiss – much of their technology consisted of improvements on Imperial designs – and I didn't quite feel that I was up to giving away New Republic secrets just yet.

During this time, I also got fed up with instances where I'd overhear someone talking in Cheunh, glance over, and receive silence and a strange look. Not to mention not being able to read all the technical readouts or even door labels. Finally, I approached Nersec and asked him if he'd take time to teach me to understand, read, and speak Cheunh. Don't misunderstand me; I didn't expect the whole base to suddenly have Basic everywhere just for me. The problem was that the Chiss were more willing to speak Basic than offer up language courses. I had snatched up everything I could about the Chiss when I accepted this mission but information on the language was essentially nonexistent. By the end of the week, I was learning general technological terms and a bit of grammar. On the last day I sought Corva and he transferred me to the medical bay. The medical officer was nowhere near as kind or enthusiastic as Nersec, but I again learned more terminology and how to find my way around a Chiss first aid kit.

My first week had actually consisted of about four days, so after another four days Corva transferred me again. From then on, every four workdays my duties changed. I had a limited amount of time to fully take in everything, so I focused on general trends and such. After retiring to my quarters, I would lie down and remember everything I'd seen and experienced so as to analyze and compare with what I knew.

Before I knew it, a month had passed. True to his word, Thavis came and sought me as soon as the _Serel_ had arrived. He was excited; Sarya had been letting him take over more and more of her duties and he hoped to be considered a fully trained pilot soon.

Thavis and Nersec were really the two best things at the moment. Corva, while not impolite, didn't interact with me except for when I was to be transferred. I only saw Thavis once a month for less than a day and Nersec at meals. Still, I was rather happy. The trials of adapting to a new environment often keep the mind and body occupied for a while. But I was moving past learning and wanted to start doing. After a month and a half, I was restless, hoping Corva would allow me to find something to do where I could contribute actively rather than observe passively.

A sort of opportunity arrived when Nersec mentioned it was time for crew evaluations. I perked up; I could use this chance to prove my commitment to this exchange and to prod Corva into giving me a permanent assignment.

"How do you know when your evaluation is?" I asked Nersec at lunch one day.

"There's a copy of the schedule sent to everyone's quarters. You can access it from over there," he replied, pointing at a lone computer terminal across the room. I had noticed it before, but not being able to read Cheunh before, I hadn't bothered with it.

"Let's test how much I've learned then," I suggested cheerfully. We approached the terminal after an engineer had finished. I stared at the dark blue screen for a moment, trying to make sense of the lighter blue text.

With a few hints from Nersec, I was able to at least navigate my way through most of the menus. Finally, I found the list he had mentioned. Scanning it several times to make sure, I shook my head.

"Nope, not on it."

"You are a guest, he may not see you as needing evaluation," suggested Nersec.

"I came here to work with everyone, not just to look around for a while to satisfy my curiosity." I felt a twinge of anger. I suppressed it, not wanting to lose my temper. "I'll set up a meeting with him."

Nersec shrugged. "As you wish. However, he may not have much to say, as you have not been here all that long."

"I've been here long enough. If he can't evaluate me by now, then we should talk anyway."

Resolved to carry out my plan, I made arrangements with Corva's lieutenant.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe

* * *

My appointment had been scheduled at the end of a workday. I was rather tired and was sure Corva would be tired and cranky – any commander, or any one for that matter, would be.

After everyone had cleared out of the control room, I made my way to the back. Corva's office was a relatively small room off the main command center rather than half way across the compound as Rotik's was. I stood in front of the closed door and waited for my presence to be announced by the automated computer system built into every door. I could hear the faint chime.

Corva opened the door, grunted, and then stood aside to allow me in. He gestured at a chair. I took my place in front of it, not taking my seat, as he closed the door. When he sat, I followed suit. I figured if it was polite enough for New Republic officers, it would be polite enough for the Chiss.

As he tapped at his computer terminal, likely bringing up any relevant information regarding me, I took the opportunity to observe him.

Commander Corva was older than I, probably by about ten years. He was still somewhat young, I could see from up close, but experience made him look older. Neither ugly nor handsome, he nevertheless cut a striking figure. His red eyes seemed to be narrowed most of the time, constantly thinking and judging. Rotik's involvement in the facility must be negligible if his second in command was this brooding. Even when no one was looking at him he seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face that made him even less approachable. I suspected he was overworked and rather unhappy about it.

Even though it was after duty hours, Corva's uniform was still as clean and crisp as I had seen it this morning and every day. By this time, too, many commanders I knew of would break out the alcohol. I saw no indication that Corva ever had alcohol. Although he could have some in his quarters, he really didn't strike me as the type. I imagined he preferred a clear head, preferring to solve the problem rather than dull it with drink.

Finally Corva finished, turning his red eyes from the terminal to my face. "Very well, Jedi Stiel. You have volunteered for the officer evaluation despite being neither an officer nor a Chiss."

"I hope to eventually participate in a more…involved manner. For that, I need to know what I'm doing, what I need to do, and what not to do. I also need you to know what I'm capable of and if you can trust me with additional work."

He cocked his head. "A good point. However, you have not been here long enough for me to perform a full evaluation. But I will take this opportunity to learn from you what you're capable of and, of course," he said with a wry smile, "if I can trust you."

I felt a wave of uneasiness. My extensive training kicked in and I suppressed it; the only emotion I allowed was determination.

"To begin with, I would like you to tell me more about your role as a Jedi. Our contact with the Jedi has been limited, and I do not take what I hear to be the truth." He sat back and placed his hands in his lap.

"The Jedi are a small order of people from all races, genders, and types that have been given a gift; that of using the Force. Whether or not anyone believes in it, the Jedi have adopted a philosophy of impartiality and equality for all. With this, the Jedi have become the conscience to the New Republic. We do what we can to address any threats, we mediate disputes, and lead armies into war.

"My own talents as a Jedi have been involved more with espionage and investigations. I come from a warrior race and have incorporated those skills into my repertoire. I did most missions alone, usually providing intelligence for those to come later, or completed the missions myself. Many of them were by request from local governments that were unable to take care of a problem."

"I see," commented Corva. "For these governments the Jedi are the defenders of justice?"

I detected a note of sarcasm in his tone. "There are many kinds of justice. The Jedi are trained to distinguish them."

"Vague, but with a group outside the jurisdiction of the New Republic, hardly surprising."

I had to draw on the Force to remain seated. "The Jedi can and have been overthrown by the government it served. Regardless, it is a noble institution that has protected the New Republic for years and for the thousands of years of its predecessor. I offer my services as a Jedi. If they are not wanted, I shall take them somewhere else."

"Hmm," grunted Corva contentedly. "Loyalty. Very admirable."

A test. I should have seen it coming. I ground my teeth in frustration. I should have known it before he did. I must be slipping.

He leaned forward and put his elbows on his desk. He laced his fingers and rested his chin on them. I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, but, luckily, I knew better.

"Now, tell me," he continued. "If being a Jedi is so noble, why did you come to the Chiss? Surely there must be plenty to do for the New Republic. It is a large expanse of space with many problems for a Jedi."

Gripping the handles of the chair, I debated for a moment how much I wanted to tell him.

He must have noticed for he added, "I would appreciate as much honesty as you can give me."

I let out a breath. Here goes.

"I am not…exactly welcome in the New Republic. A particular mission, one I was on alone, didn't go according to plan. I made a decision that the Senate didn't agree with. I was ostracized and Master Skywalker, the leader of the Jedi, was being pressured into revoking my title as Jedi Knight. The request for a New Republic representative here provided an excellent opportunity for me to fade from the public eye, for me to continue as a Jedi, and for Master Skywalker to appease the government."

I watched for a reaction, but was rewarded only a cocked eyebrow. "So you intend to bring your disorder to my facility while hiding from your political enemies?"

I gave him a knowing and determined smile. "I am no threat to you or your people. I did what had to be done; those politicians would have reached the same decision, but by then it would have been too late.

"I have not bowed to their demands. I shall remain a Jedi so long as Master Skywalker sees fit, but my services belong to the Chiss now. I have offered my loyalty and my services to you; a Jedi never goes back on her word."

The smirk returned. "You can become a great asset, Jedi Stiel. I accept your loyalty and your services. Now that you've spent time with multiple departments, is there anything in particular that you'd like to focus on while you are here?"

His glib change of subject rather irked me.

"I've noticed some problems with getting the defense network up and fully functional, not to mention security measures that could use improving. I don't mean to overstep my duties and my status as a guest, but I would like to see what you have and offer what suggestions I can. I've bypassed many security systems in the past, I can tell you what infiltrators and such might do."

Considering this for a moment, Corva's eyes were almost closed. Then they opened as he leaned back in his chair.

"I will consider any suggestions you might make. I will give you a week; at its conclusion, I want a report on defense deficiencies and a list of modifications. After I review it, you'll supervise their implementation."

Surprised, I gave him a nod.

He smiled, not completely without warmth, although not particularly comforting either. "I look forward to your report. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my duties."

He walked me to the door.

"Thank you, Commander," I said on my way out. I meant it, but I also wanted to see how he'd respond to extraneous conversation. He grunted then gave a nod. The door shut behind me. I turned my nervous energy into a chuckle at his lack of a response.

Letting out a relieved breath, I glanced at my chrono. The dinner hour was almost over, but I still had time to grab some food. Plus Nersec had said he would wait for me to hear how it went. I couldn't wait to tell him that I was going to be his boss.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe

* * *

The next day was one of the regulation work-free day. I spent most of it thinking about how to go about my new duties and making notes on my pad. When I needed a break, I'd either grab some food from the mess hall or I'd go out on a walk.

Initially I had been wary of taking walks on a strange planet until I discovered the Chiss policy on traveling off base; if you wanted to, you could. There were only a few guards for the base perimeter who'd watch you as you exited the unlocked blaster-proof gate. Chiss technology was advanced enough that much of their lifestyle was automated, which explains the minimal guard presence. I didn't know how their automated perimeter system worked, but I was pretty sure it wasn't enough. One thing I had noticed during my time there was how previous commanders hadn't thought the base worthy of attack. I began to notice signs that only proved the point.

Outside the base, I followed the curve of the structure to the south side where the lake was. There was a large space following the bank where anything smaller than an AT-ST could walk, provided it could avoid the hanging branches of the trees above.

It was a very quiet and pleasant walk. The local wildlife was apparently undisturbed by the presence of the Chiss, what little there was. I visited that lake many times and never saw more than a handful of birds. It was winter, to be sure, but even then there wasn't much life.

After a quick hike, the building disappeared behind the bare trees where all you could hear is the wind and the water. When the bank of the lake and it's accompanying path curved west, you found yourself facing the largest part of the lake. There, someone had placed a crude but functional metal bench. The trail I took had seen minimal travel, but obviously I wasn't the only one who enjoyed getting out of that building.

By the next workday, I was more or less ready with a plan of attack. I went around to all the departments I had been to, taking advantage of my contacts. I asked detailed questions about everything I could think of, which took a few days. During my meal hours and even during some of our precious evening hours, Nersec joined me to offer suggestions, translations, and ideas. By now my understanding of Cheunh was rudimentary at best, but I was slowly making progress. A detailed look at Chiss schematics from Nersec also helped boost my vocabulary. However, the best I could hope to say in a conversation with a Chiss was the power systems for a shield enhancer. Ask me about the weather, and I wouldn't have a thing to say except what parts make up the weather projection system.

Anyways, by the end of the week I had made a substantial review of the existing defense systems, mechanisms, and policies. I copied everything to a portable hand-held Chiss device and prepared for another meeting with Commander Corva.

With my portable device and a prepared presentation in my head, I headed over to Corva's office after the completion of the workday.

After I took my seat and he took his, I slid the hand-held device across the table towards him.

He picked it up. "Your suggestions, I take it?"

I nodded.

His eyes glazed over it for a moment.

"General impressions?"

"Inadequacy. Dismal. Almost laughable." Red eyes narrowed. "I'm being brutally honest. Anyone can walk into this base with a 60% likelihood that they won't be asked for identification. If someone were to actually get in uninvited, there is no way to stop him in a decent margin of time, during which the infiltrator could very well complete his mission.

"I'll put it another way. If I wanted to enter this base and steal…oh, maybe the plans for the shock net, I would attack at night; there are only nine guards for the outer wall and their vision will be impaired both by the darkness and by the trees. If I planned it right, I could slip past one of the guards. Even if one of the guards saw me, I could likely take him out before he could get off any sort of a warning. The front entrance to the facility is often open; I've asked and most of the guards don't even check to see if it is secured properly.

"The main power conduit for a majority of the automated defense systems, once you find it, is easily disrupted without setting off the alarm. After that, I could easily find my way to the lab. There are only a handful of guards between me and anything I want. If I decided to bring accomplices, the resulting fight would give me that much more time."

Sitting back, I watched Corva's face intently. He continued to look at me for a moment then dropped his gaze to look at the pad again. Subtle hints told me what I had already suspected to be true.

"I suppose you have suggestions for improvements?" he asked in a calm voice.

"I listed a few," I answered rather sharply. "But you don't need me to tell you that this facility could be destroyed in the first few seconds of any battle."

Corva slowly put the pad down on his desk then met my eyes. "No, you do not."

"What were you expecting me to find? Did you expect me to dismiss everything because the Chiss have it all under control and it's none of my business?" I asked pointedly.

With a sigh, he rubbed his chin. Through the Force I could detect concern and unease, none of it directed at me. There was also a weariness told by the lines around his eyes.

Finally, he sat up. His crimson eyes looked me in the face, open and honest for the first time since I'd met him. "I did not intend for this to be a useless exercise. This base is quite vulnerable, as you have so eloquently pointed out. Our government, however, does not deem it necessary to improve its defenses, as that would be too aggressive a move and destroy everything the Chiss stand for."

"The famous stance against a preemptive strike?"

"Indeed. Some of us have argued that a strong defense is necessary, but others with higher power have overruled us. It is not up to me."

I had a feeling who was behind that. "Rotik."

"He was a very successful military strategist in the past, but I fear the ways he is used to have changed. Rotik's way of thinking is becoming outdated."

"Attacking only when provoked is a good policy, however it doesn't work in all instances. Someone needs to be able to determine when those instances are. Your enemies are not going to follow the same rules you're used to having."

Corva sighed and I saw he was disillusioned with his superiors. However, rather than rebel as perhaps many would from where I came from, he chose to accept it and do what he could to make things better. He was, in the end, a loyal Chiss warrior.

I put my hands on the table. "Look. If you get me all the restrictions and safeguards I'll need to know, I'll try to find some way to improve defenses within those guidelines. No guarantees, but I will do my best."

With a small sigh, he answered, "Very well. I will bring up your defense measures at my next meeting with Rotik. In the meantime, do what you can. Send me reports with updates and include anything relevant. Do not," he added, his voice low and menacing, "do anything that would compromise my position, or yours. This is not your base, and I will not tolerate any disobedience. Is that clear?"

I nodded, but my determination was unwavering.

The next few weeks progressed similarly to the ones before it. I spent time with Nersec and all my contacts, talking and offering suggestions. Now that my Cheunh was improving, I was better able to communicate with my fellow Chiss. Once my sincerity was accepted as genuine, they seemed to open up and accept my opinion. Corva's opinion appeared to be worth something to these people, as well. He openly supported my attempts and his popularity among them lent my position some authority. Progress was slow, however. There were many changes that I wanted to see, but even with Corva's support and that of his subordinates, nothing could happen overnight.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe.

* * *

One day, I don't know how many weeks later, I was out on one of my walks. I had gotten in the habit of taking short walks before work or longer ones on the weekends during the morning. It was my time off when I didn't want to think about shock nets, guards, and new policies anymore.

It was evening on that particular day; not my normal time, but I had really needed to get out. Walking out the outer gate, I was happy to see nearly ten times the amount of guards than before, and my identification was checked three times. The guards knew me by now, but they had taken their new responsibilities seriously and I was quite pleased.

Winter still held a grip on the landscape. The Chiss were from an ice planet and didn't seem to think much of it. Most of them never left the building unless they had to, not having the appreciation for the cold that I did. I preferred the fresh air, the wind on my face: something somewhat tactile that didn't require any thinking. Outside the building I was able to purge my mind and observe the simplicity of the season.

I had gotten a coat from Thavis and Sarya on one of their trips. My job paid me in Chiss currency that I had saved, not having anything to spend it on, but I had wanted a decent coat once walking had become a regular habit. I hadn't seen much of the two of them on their last trip, they'd been too busy and I had been occupied with my defense survey. They had only had enough time to accept my reports to be transmitted to the Jedi Temple and to give me my coat. The coat was black and made from some animal's fur; none of that synthetic material that could repel water and cold, but couldn't breathe quite the same way fur can. Anyways, I was grateful for that coat: it could get quite cold.

So, my walk. It was evening and I had walked out to the lake and sat down on the bench. The days were rather short and the sun was starting to set. The sky was somewhat cloudy and white, the sun just barely making it through. There were only a few centimeters of new snow. The white-tipped evergreens were spectacularly beautiful. The lake was mostly frozen over, although there was a small bit in the center that remained liquid. A handful of birds would show up every once in a while and swim around on it, but there must not have been much food for them; they never stayed for long.

I felt the presence just before I heard the footsteps. I craned my neck, but the bench was set far enough into the trees that I couldn't see who was coming up the path. The person was coming from the building, snow crunching under their boots.

Finally a figure wearing a long black coat appeared around the corner. I recognized the stride, height, and stance, everything immediately.

"Commander?"

The figure startled, then looked at me. The dark hair was flecked with stray snowflakes, the red eyes like hot metal.

"Jedi Stiel," replied Corva, obviously surprised. "I didn't realize anyone would be out at this hour."

"Nor did I." He continued to stand there, as if unsure of what to do.

Gesturing at the bench, I gave a small smile. "Please, sit."

He grunted but didn't immediately move. After a moment he walked over, sat down at the opposite side, and crossed his legs. I stared back out at the lake. The last of the sunlight was touching the distant hills.

"I spoke with Rotik about your recommendations," he said after a while.

"Oh?"

"After some convincing, he was willing to consider some of the changes. Coincidentally," he added, turning to look at me, "he seemed intrigued when I told him the recommendations were from you."

"Really?" I asked, somewhat incredulously.

Corva turned back to the lake. "He'll likely be arranging a meeting sometime in the next few days."

"I'll, uh, prepare something convincing."

Another grunt. I studied what I could see of his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Despite what you may think, Commander, I have no intention of overruling your decisions. I don't know why Rotik seems to care so much about my opinion. I haven't forgotten I'm an outsider." I felt my eyes narrow. "I have nothing to gain from manipulating either of you."

"Regardless," replied Corva. He looked me in the eye. "Watch what you say. If your politicians are anything like ours, they'll trick you into saying something you do not mean to say."

"I'll be careful," I assured him.

"You've become a valuable asset to this base, Stiel. I was initially wary; I didn't think an outsider would be able or even willing to contribute anything." I felt my cheeks color under his direct gaze.

He turned back to the lake, removing any possibility of a response. I looked out as well. The sun was disappearing, I could see the shadows lengthening and merging on the ground and on the hills in the distance. Bright golden beams reflected off the icy lake as the clouds let up for the final moments of the day.

Corva uncrossed his legs and stood up. "You shouldn't stay outside too long. The temperature drop at night is severe."

I stared at the gold reflections in his hair and the glowing red eyes underneath. I felt something stir, something I didn't want to acknowledge.

Blinking my eyes, I smiled. "I'm all right. I'm going to stay out here for a few more minutes. Just until the sun sets."

With a shrug, Corva began walking back towards the base. "As you wish."

As I watched him leave, I felt that something stir again. I suppressed it. I didn't know what it was; I didn't want to know. I couldn't afford to even recognize it. I looked back at the darkening sky and tried to forget.

A few days later I had my meeting with Rotik. I, of course, felt somewhat nervous and uneasy about it – he was, in the end, the man in charge – but also prepared. I was feeling comfortable among the Chiss. I had made several friends, few enemies (if any), I had a command on the language, and I felt that I understood them. Not to the extent a native would, by any means; but for an outsider, I could understand where they were coming from at least. I hoped it would help me convince Rotik that I had the best of intentions.

Walking into Rotik's office, I remembered the last time I had been there. It had been several months, back when I had first arrived on Tesar. So many things had changed.

Rotik was staring at something on his computer terminal screen. I waited patiently for him to finish. After a moment, he glanced up and smiled.

"Jedi Stiel, thank you for coming." He waved me towards a seat. "Please, sit."

"Thank you," I replied, taking the offered seat.

"It is good to see you. I was wondering how you were getting on."

"I am doing quite well, thank you."

He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers across his stomach. "Commander Corva said you had some things to discuss with me?"

"Yes," I replied, pulling out one of my hand held devices. "With Commander Corva's permission, I did a survey of all the security and defense systems, personnel, and policies. I found all of them in desperate need of attention."

"I see. Tell me exactly what you found."

For the next hour or so I outlined what was wrong and what I thought should be fixed. He listened attentively, but I could tell most of what I said mattered little to him.

"Excellent work," he said when I had finished. "I am glad we thought to request a Jedi for these matters."

"With all due respect, sir," I said. "Commander Corva had already noted most of what I mentioned before I was stationed here."

Rotik sat up, blue-black eyebrows raised. "Oh?"

"It's clear that this base is not considered vital. However, very important work goes on here. No one should be able to get into that base; if anyone managed to get a hold of any of your technology, it could be used against you in other engagements where the target is not so inconsequential."

"I see." Rotik's voice had lowered and his eyes narrowed. His empty praises from moments before now rang hollow.

"I'm sure you do. Now, my proposal will not affect any activity at this base. A few items will need to be shipped here for installment, but everything is within the Ascendancy's guidelines." I glared back at him, daring him to disagree with what made complete sense.

His eyes remained narrowed for a moment, and then he broke into a smile and laughed. "You are indeed a tremendous asset, Jedi Stiel. Your proposal will be passed on with my full endorsement. You've done well."

I bowed my head. "Thank you."

"My next trip to Csilla isn't for several days, but rest assured, everything will be done according to your plan." He smiled, but it gave me no comfort. Something in the back of my mind had started to twitch; my Force sense was trying to tell me something.

I couldn't stay and figure it out, Rotik was already ushering me out of his office with promises that everything would be just as I had requested. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was just making promises to keep me (and therefore Corva) happy. Of course, what politician would disappoint, anyways? I had no illusions, but I still hoped he would keep to his word. However something didn't feel right.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe.

* * *

That night, the feeling returned. It was late but I was unable to calm my mind and get to sleep. Finally, I grabbed my coat, got dressed, and went for a midnight walk.

The two moons were up, lighting the frozen landscape. I could see my breath; it was cold. But I was restless. Whatever I had started sensing was occupying my mind. It was like someone screaming in the back of my head, only I couldn't hear. I just knew that they were screaming.

I walked quickly to the bench, unaware of my surroundings; moved only by the urge to move. Once I reached the bench, I couldn't bring myself to sit. All I could do was pace.

My instructors back at the Jedi Temple had all told me of cases when they had felt something through the Force. Cases when they had realized friends were in danger, when someone had died, when something significant was about to happen. Each had their own description of the feeling. Near as I could tell, I was either suffering from food poisoning or something was brewing. I thought it might have been related to my defense proposals, that the Aristocracy would reject it and demand that I leave Chiss space. When I tried to probe the feeling and open myself to the Force, I could tell that the defense proposal was part of it, but not all.

Something was going on and I was somehow involved.

After restless pacing for about half an hour, I finally felt calm and tired enough that I went back to my room. When I finally dropped off to sleep, my dreams were foggy, but I remembered a cave and a blinding realization. There was more, but by the time I woke up the next morning, I had forgotten the rest.

My feeling of dread diminished but never completely went away. Before I knew it, it was spring. Slowly the lake began to melt, more birds visited the area every day, and the days became warmer.

Inside the facility, with Corva's support and Nersec's knowledge, we had managed to get some of my defense plans out of the computer and into reality. Most of my ideas were put on hold while I waited for the Aristocracy's final decision. Rotik had stayed longer on Tesar than expected, and even when he did finally leave, it was understood that it would take time to present the defense proposals and get them approved.

Meanwhile, Corva had decided to observe and assist more heavily with the last of the defenses we felt we could safely deploy. For several days we tested the equipment for functionality, and then tested their placement.

"All right," I said into the comlink. "I'm in position."

Starting in the midst of the forest, I began walking slowly towards the front gate. About thirty meters away, I stopped. After a quick pause, I walked forward even more slowly.

"_Alarm lights just went off_," came Nersec's voice. I said nothing.

Moving silently forward, I checked the positions of the guards. There were four at the gate; two on top and two that I could sense behind. There were fewer along the wall, each with several meters between them.

Exiting the trees far enough away not to be detected by the gate guards, I stopped behind a large tree trunk. I watched the three guards I could see standing on the wall. Their patrols were somewhat repetitive and it didn't take me long to determine their pattern. When the farthest one was staring at some point in the forest opposite of my position, I pulled on the Force.

The guard's charric shot up and pointed at the forest. The other two guards also raised their weapons.

"What is it?" one of them asked in Cheunh. The other guard said he had seen something move.

However, by this time, I had already Force-jumped onto the wall and had leapt off the other side. I was now inside the first wall. I ran across the short expanse between it and the main wall of the facility and ducked next to a rectangular pillar. I waited and watched the three guards relax and return to their positions. Not once did they glance behind them; if they had, there would certainly have seen me.

Sliding around the pillar silently, I passed along the wall away from the main entrance to my left. About a minute later, I found what I had been looking for: one of the side doors. After testing to make sure it was, indeed, locked and without activating any alarm, I placed my hand on the door. Closing my eyes, I used the Force to probe the handle mechanism. A few moments later, there was a click, and the door unlocked. I grinned and pushed open the door.

I was standing in one of the side hallways. It wasn't technically a workday, so it was nearly abandoned. Occasionally at the far end I would detect a presence, but they never came in my direction.

Taking the first doorway on my left, I made my way to the control room. It, too, was abandoned, but for one technician. As she turned around, she pulled out her charric. I ducked to avoid the first bolt, then Force jumped onto a table to avoid the second. Before she could get off a third, I stunned her with my own blaster. As her body fell to the floor, I paused, blaster ready, listening to see if she had activated any alarm or if anyone had heard the commotion. Nothing.

Holstering my blaster, I jumped off the table and walked to the power distribution station. Pushing aside the chair, I leaned over to read the screen. After finding what I was looking for, I turned and walked into the doorway on my right.

This room was the powerhouse for the entire facility. Every power conduit came through here. When I found the control panel, I felt myself grin again. I began to pull the lever –

…and a huge surge ran through my hand and all over my body. My teeth clamped down from the shock and I felt myself fall over. I didn't even feel the impact with the ground; all I remember was my body thrashing around on the floor, and the pain. All my muscles seemed to contract at once and I felt like I was being continuously hit by lightning. Then there was darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe.

* * *

I woke up to see two fuzzy blue objects in my field of vision; each had something red in the center. The faces of Corva and Nersec slowly came into focus. They were saying something, but I couldn't hear. A few seconds passed and I vaguely heard the whine of the Chiss alarm system that I had activated.

Slowly the Chiss' words started to form sounds that my brain could understand.

"Jedi Stiel, are you all right?" Nersec was asking. With a shaky breath, I nodded.

"Yeah," I rasped. "I think I'll survive."

A hand was offered, I took it. Corva pulled me up and put a hand on my upper arm. "Are you sure? You should go to the infirmary."

Finally finding my balance, I shrugged off his hand. "No, I'm alright. The effects are already wearing off."

"Well?" asked Nersec rather eagerly. "How did it go?"

"The floor-activated pulse worked rather well. But I shouldn't have been able to get that far."

"The guards will have to be more alert to diversionary tactics," commented Corva. His arms were crossed and he was staring at me with furrowed brows.

"Exactly. They never looked behind the wall. We should put some kind of trigger alarm on the ground between the two walls, though. That should help."

"Some more of those floor-activated alarms and pulses should go on those side doors. Windows, too," said Nersec. His red eyes were looking off in the distance.

I smiled. "Go get started." I knew he already had, at least in his mind.

As Nersec turned to return to his lab, I turned to Corva. "I think I'm going to go lie down for a while. I'm not quite sure my limbs are completely under my control yet."

I spun to walk out the control room door, but my legs reminded me that they had just been mildly electrocuted. I stumbled, and Corva grabbed my upper arm, keeping me upright.

"Hmph. Thanks," I muttered.

"I think I should accompany you and make sure you get to your quarters."

"I think so too." With a firm grip on my arm, Corva guided me down the hallway.

"That was an interesting trick you pulled," he said a moment later when we were out of earshot. "Distracting the guards."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied innocently.

"Although I'm not quite sure it was fair." He continued as if I hadn't spoken.

I sighed. "Perhaps not. But as a soldier surely you know that you must be prepared for anything. You can never be too careful or be over-prepared."

"I suppose."

"Hey," I said, glancing at him. "You still caught me."

Corva gave me a grin. "Yes we did."

We were just entering the living quarters section when we heard the first explosion.

"What was that?" I asked. We had stopped, his hand still on my arm. He had gone stiff and he was staring at the wall.

"Corva?"

"Down!" he yelled. The handful of Chiss wandering the hallways within earshot mimicked us as Corva dragged me to the floor. Seconds later, there was another explosion. This one was closer; I put up my free hand to protect my head from the flying debris of the wall next to us.

Corva got up. "I've got to get to the command center."

"Wait!" I called, but he was already running down the hallway. The explosions were closer together now. I sat up, listening. The pattern indicated an aerial bombardment. Someone was in orbit and seemed to have every intention of destroying this building.

Getting up, I was momentarily grateful that my body was back to normal working order. I ran to my room, jabbing my fingers into the keypad. Once the door opened, I rushed in. Grabbing my pack that I had put in the corner all those months ago, I dumped the contents onto the bed. I began putting on all my Jedi equipment; pouches, comlink, and my lightsaber. My blaster was still strapped to my hip; I loosened it in its holster. Something was up and I wanted to be ready.

Repacking my bag with my cloak, I grabbed the first aid kit and shoved it in too. Throwing everything over my shoulder, I ran out into the hallway, not bothering to shut my door.

The hallways were mad with activity. Most of the Chiss were trying to get to the handful of shuttles in the shuttle bay, a building separate from the protective walls of the facility. Even if they managed to avoid the huge blasts from the ship in orbit, their shuttles would make even larger targets.

"Get under something, don't go outside!" I yelled to anyone who would listen. "There's no protection out there!"

No one listened. I didn't really expect them to. Rather than waste my energy herding uncooperative people, I started to run down the hallway, following Corva's idea. At least I could see who was attacking.

By the time I reached the control room, a large portion of the facility had already been destroyed. The control room seemed to be more or less intact. With each blast, the room shook, but there didn't seem to be much damage.

Corva was at the forward command section, directing a handful of officers.

I came up and placed a hand on his shoulder to alert him to my presence. He turned around quickly under my touch. Once he realized it was me, he turned back to his officers.

"We're still trying to get an identification," he said.

"Can you identify the energy signatures from the blasts?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Long-ranged sensors are out, they were one of the first targets."

"Any idea how many ships?"

Corva sighed and ran a hand over his face. "There's only one firing, but I can't tell if it's alone."

I grabbed his arm. "We should leave. The command center won't hold for long. Is there some sort of bunker or something around here?"

He resisted my tug. I saw the look of fierce determination; I knew he wanted to stay. "There's nothing you can do. We've got to get people out of here. Is there any way we can put out a distress signal?"

The lieutenant at Corva's elbow shook his head. "Communication is out too."

"Can we get any sort of a signal out?"

"There's a few hand-held devices left over from the original survey team. They're rather outdated, but there's nothing else here capable," said Corva. He nodded at the lieutenant who stood up and ran out of the room. Corva took his place at the terminal. "Our shuttles are starting to take off."

He cursed. On the screen three blue dots were moving. One large orange dot floated on the edge of the local sensor grid. Three blue dots became two, then one, then none. Corva's shoulders visibly sank.

"There was nothing you could have done." I had been through similar situations myself and knew the pain and helpless feeling it caused. The lieutenant returned carrying two large unfamiliar pieces of technology.

"This is all that was there, sir."

Corva nodded. Straightening up, he gave a tug on his uniform. The momentary weakness of despair on his face disappeared to be replaced by a look of command and indifference. "We must reach the forest. They will not be able to track us there and we can try to call for help. At the very least the Aristocracy needs to know of this new threat."

I turned to the lieutenant. "Give me the devices."

Kneeling on the floor, I wrapped them in my cloak as he handed them to me. "We should grab water and food. We don't know how long we'll be out there."

The lieutenant nodded.

"I'll come with you," I added.

"I shall destroy the computer equipment and then set the autodestruct. Whatever they came here for, I don't want them to get it," said Corva.

With a nod, I turned and ran to catch up with the lieutenant.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe.

* * *

The command center appeared to be the only intact section of the entire facility. As we passed the living quarters, I saw holes big enough to fit a speeder through. The mess hall hadn't fared much better.

The lieutenant and I started poking through the rubble. The breakfast hour for the mess hall had been over by the time the bombardment started, but a few people had lingered. Occasionally peeking out from under a white chunk of wall a pale blue appendage could be seen. I felt a horror and shock shoot down into my feet. I took a deep breath and focused on finding the supplies. Finally, I pushed aside a particularly large piece of the wall and found the containers marked with the Cheunh word for "Rations."

"Over here!" I called. Across the room, the lieutenant waved his hand to show he heard, then started to walk towards me.

I felt it coming.

"Get down! Move!" I yelled, but it was too late. Another blast from the ship had landed. The roof over the lieutenant collapsed. A chunk from the wall protected me, but as soon as the debris had stopped falling, I climbed out of its protective radius.

The lieutenant was dead. I didn't have to feel the pulse on the hand or look for the red blood that leaked out from under the rock. There was nothing I could do, it was the most helpless feeling in the world. Gritting my teeth, I turned back and ripped open the container of rations. Filling my pack to the brim with food and some containers of water, I made my way gingerly back to the command center.

The command center was still standing, incredibly, but empty. Corva was sitting slumped in the lieutenant's chair, one hand to his temple. The debris crunched under my boot, he turned around.

"What happened?" I detected concern. I reached up to my face and felt dirt. A glance at my hand proved it.

"I grabbed as many rations as I could before the place collapsed."

"The lieutenant?"

I shook my head. His head lowered.

"Did you set the autodestruct?"

"I can't," he replied. "One of the blasts damaged the system. I cannot guarantee that the facility won't be breached."

"Can you at least destroy the command center?"

"Not completely, but I have already wiped the computers."

"It's better than nothing. We should get going."

Corva stood with a sigh. I started walking to the great blast doors. After a moment he followed. Once past the threshold he turned.

"Give me your blaster."

I paused, but decided he knew what he was doing. I pulled the weapon out of my holster and placed it on his outstretched palm. In a quick fluid motion he brought the weapon up level to his eyes, changed the bolt to maximum energy, then fired at the computer consol across the room. His aim was perfect: the entire computer system exploded in a brilliant array of golden sparks, a chain reaction took out the other consoles in the room.

Lowering the weapon, he wordlessly handed me the blaster. He turned back to the hallway, met my eyes for a second, and began walking fast. I ran to keep up.

Corva led me to a side door that was more or less intact. When it wouldn't respond to his command code, he took a step back and kicked the door open. On the other side of the door, I could tell the orbiting ship was starting to fire more frequently.

Grabbing my wrist, Corva began running around the building until we found a chunk missing in the outer defense wall. It was about knee-height and was large enough for us to get through one at a time.

"You go first!" yelled Corva over the deafening sound of the explosions. I felt his hands on my back starting to push me through. Throwing my pack through first, I ducked to fit through the hole. I turned around, putting my pack back on. Corva was right behind me…

A blast impacted the ground directly behind him. Corva had nearly made it free when the force of the impact and of the section of the main outpost behind us as it exploded was directed through the large crack.

It happened in less than a second. I felt myself fly for a moment, then all the wind was knocked out of me. After the darkness cleared from my vision, I realized I was sitting at the base of a tree, probably seven meters away from the wall. My ears were ringing, I couldn't hear at first. Merely stunned, the pain hadn't set in yet. Gradually my hearing returned and I began to panic.

Corva.

I looked around, and then I saw him. He was closer to the wall, having been thrown to the ground and was lying down face-first. He wasn't moving.

Demanding that my limbs work, I got up and stumbled over to his body. A check of his pulse indicated he was still alive. He was better off than I had expected and appeared to be merely knocked out. His uniform had mostly protected him and was mostly intact; I could see pale blue skin in patches especially on his shoulder. One patch looked particularly bad and was starting to bleed.

Under my touch, he began to stir.

"What…" he managed to croak. I put a shoulder under his arm.

"A blast from the ship, it was right behind us. I'm afraid you caught the brunt of it."

I managed to get him into a relatively standing position and put an arm around his waist to steady him.

"How do you feel? You think you can walk?"

"Can't," he stammered. "Leg won't hold weight, and I think ribs broken."

I was supporting a good deal of his weight, but I could tell that he was trying to move under his own power. Still, I ended up half-dragging him into the trees. There, we paused for a bit to catch our breath. I began to feel the pain that I had ignored creep into my joints and my limbs. My back was starting to hurt from the impact. Luckily for the both of us, I hadn't broken anything and could still walk.

After a short break, we continued to climb up a hill and into the forest. At the top, we took another break. Under the cover of the trees we looked out over the facility.

"The command center seems relatively untouched," said Corva. He was pale, but after a rest, water, and some food, he was starting to look a little better. He was still breathing hard and I saw the pain in his eyes.

I looked out and realized that not only was the command center untouched, but everything else had been demolished around it. "That is odd."

His red eyes narrowed as he studied the view before us.

"I don't suppose you know who would have done this," I said quietly.

"I wouldn't even be able to guess."

"Well, whatever they were after, it must have been in the command center. I doubt they'll get anything, you managed to destroy anything they could have used."

Corva said nothing. The stern concentrated look was starting to fold and I could see the pain returning.

"Let's get you somewhere protected and I'll take a look at your injuries."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own or am anyway involved with Star Wars. I'm just taking the opportunity to play in the universe.

* * *

It was a long and hard hike; for me and especially for Corva. It was over a kilometer before we even felt safe enough to find shelter. Afternoon was burning its way through the day, and evening was fast approaching.

Starting about three kilometers from the facility, we found that the local geology was in our favor. The hillsides were covered in caves. I left Corva sitting on a rock while I found a suitable one. Once having located one large enough and with enough protection that we wouldn't be rained on or seen by possible foot soldiers, I came back and helped him up the hill.

This particular cave had a decently large opening so Corva wouldn't have to strain too much to enter it. In front of this entrance a large boulder from further up the hill had slid down and deposited itself in such a way as to hide the cave's entrance from the valley below and still leave enough room for us to get in.

The cave itself was about as large as a decently sized conference room and relatively flat. While Corva leaned on the wall, I emptied my pack and spread out my Jedi cloak. Gripping his elbow, he limped over and slid his back down the cave wall to a sitting position.

He gave a relieved sigh and closed his eyes.

"That was impressive, by the way," I said. "You must be in a lot of pain. Can I get you anything?"

"I would kill for an ale right about now," he said. A grin slowly spread across his face.

I chuckled. "If I had one, I wouldn't dare deprive you of one. Although I could use one myself."

"How about you? Having to carry me up that hill plus your injuries must have been difficult." His head rolled to look at me.

"I'm all right, considering," I said with a small smile. "The blast threw me against a tree, so I'll be sore before long at the very least, but overall I'm relatively intact."

Suddenly I remembered. I had been wearing the pack at the time, the pack had contained…

"The transmitters," I said rather suddenly. They were still in the pile I had made when I had dumped my pack earlier. I picked them both up and brought them to Corva. The silver covering was bent considerably on both of them, although one seemed to be less, er, broken.

Corva took them and pried off the metal casings of both of them. I was completely unfamiliar with Chiss transmitter technology, so I waited for his assessment.

"Well?" I asked after I decided he had looked them over long enough.

"Both are damaged significantly…"

"I, ah, landed on a tree," I said quietly.

"…but I believe I can combine them to make one that works," he continued, throwing me a glance. "I'm not sure if I have the tools, however."

I poked around my belt and pulled something out of a pouch. "I have these, can you use them?"

I handed him my Jedi tools. They were designed for New Republic equipment, but they were sturdy and good for small detailed work.

Corva took one and looked it over. "These will do nicely."

"A Jedi is always prepared, even if she doesn't know it," I said dryly as I handed him the rest of my tools. "These have gotten me out of several fixes."

"Well, let us hope they can get us out of this one." Shifting his position, he tried to hunch over the transmitters then gave a grunt of pain.

"What?" I asked, concerned.

"My shoulder, I just…scraped it against the wall."

I nodded at the referenced shoulder. "Let me clean up your wounds first, then you can work on the transmitters."

Corva gave a shrug of agreement and, using his hands, shifted so that his back was facing me instead of the wall. I hissed when I saw his shoulder.

"Bad?" he asked.

"I'm sure it looks worse than it is." I looked it over again. The top right quarter of his back was soaked in blood. "Turn around so it's in the light. And, if you don't mind, it would make it easier if you take your uniform off."

While Corva repositioned himself, I grabbed a bottle of water and ripped off a piece of my cloak. Meanwhile, he had unbuckled his belt and was taking off his tunic. He grunted with pain as his broken ribs protested the changes in position. I held onto a sleeve while he slowly extracted himself. Underneath he wore a black short-sleeved shirt.

"That too," I said. He pulled it off, grunting through the pain.

With my back to the light, I sat down. I began gently cleaning the wound with water.

"Does it sting?"

"I can handle it," replied Corva tersely. I sighed and continued cleaning.

"There's some shrapnel from the explosion. Hand me that there, no, the one to the left, that one." Corva handed me one of my Jedi tools. "I know it's out of my control, but I'll try to be gentle."

As I started extracting pieces of glass and dirt, I could feel his muscles tighten.

"Tell me about yourself, or something."

"Why?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"It'll keep you focused on something besides me jabbing metal in your shoulder. Tell me how you ended up on Tesar."

"I was ordered to," he replied stubbornly.

I yanked out a rather large piece of glass.

"Ach!" he exclaimed. I took it to be the Chiss equivalent to "Ouch."

"All right, fine. My previous post was on another colony planet. All I knew about Tesar was that we had a base here. Apparently my predecessor wasn't up to Rotik's standards and was demoted and transferred."

"So Tesar was a step up for you?" I asked as I pulled out a small chunk of the wall.

"Not quite…ach! I had hoped to be transferred to a ship rather than be left on a planet doing clerical work the General should be doing."

"I knew he wasn't doing his job, I always saw you doing all the work and evaluations and all that," I commented. "You think Rotik a decent General?"

He shrugged under my fingers. "I've seen worse, and certainly seen better. He wasn't difficult to work with, he just left most of his work to his subordinates."

"I bet his trips to the Aristocracy were more frequent and longer than they should have been."

"Yes, but while he was gone, I was able to do things my way."

"Ok, I think I have all the shrapnel out. Just going to clean it now." I grabbed some bandages and disinfectant from the small first aid kit I'd taken from my room. "So, did you enjoy your command? At least until this part, that is."

"It was a job," he said, between hisses of pain. "I hate doing the work of others, but when most of the reports have my name on them, my acts as commander are easily recognized."

"I should say so. All done," I said, drying any runaway drops of water with the piece from my cloak. "Now, turn around and let me take a look at the rest of you."

Corva did as I asked. I didn't want to make him move around so much, but there was no other way I could catch the light. He turned around and I got a good look at his ribs.

He must have landed chest first on a rock or two. His left side was colored purple and dark blue which even with his alien blue skin looked painful. With him leaning against the cave wall and his left side facing the dimming sunlight, I placed my hands gently on the bruised flesh and closed my eyes.

With the Force and gentle probing with my fingertips, I was able to detect the cracks in the bones. However, I determined that he wasn't in immediate danger.

"You're going to be in pain until we can get you some help, but the bones seem to have cracked rather than outright broken. Your internal organs are safe, so there's that."

"You found out all that by touching it?" asked Corva incredulously.

"The Force. Don't ask, it's complicated."

"If you say so."

I tried to do the same thing for his injured right leg, but he put a hand on mine to stop me.

"It's a ligament. I know, I've had the same injury before."

"Oh?" I asked. "How'd you do that? Chair cramp?"

"Funny," he replied, not entirely amused. At least the Chiss have mastered Basic sarcasm. "Basic training injury."

"Ah."

The sun caught his face in its light.

"You, ah, got a nasty cut on your face there, too," I said, pointing at his left cheek. He reached up and touched it, eyebrows furrowed. His fingers came away slightly bloody.

"Here," I said, grabbing the water, cloak piece, and disinfectant again. Taking his chin in my left hand, I dabbed the wet cloth against the cut.

The golden rays of the setting sun set fire to his features. There was something about him: the gold lining on his dark hair, the half-closed fire-red eyes beneath, the fact that his chin rested on my hand. Something that I'd felt for quite a while now bubbled up to the surface and declared itself. I desperately tried to ignore it. I quickly disinfected his cut and let go.

"I'm going to go scout around for a bit, see if the bombardment's over. You should get some rest." I hoped he wouldn't notice any sense of urgency in my voice.

"Very well," replied Corva, not indicating that he had noticed. "Be careful."

I quickly made my exit, only trusting myself to nod in response.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: So...yeah, I own nothing of Star Wars. Nearly all these characters are mine, though, as are all their faults. HA!

* * *

Making my way to the top of a nearby hill, I began to curse at myself. _I shouldn't get involved, this is just asking for trouble_, I thought. Finally sitting down on a flat rock on top of the hill, I sighed. Figures; I spend most of my life putting my job before everything, not even bothering to make friends. Then I leave New Republic space and BAM.

I was attracted to Corva. It was an inescapable and unavoidable fact. He was smart, confident, had a great sense of humor (and sarcasm for that matter), and was stuck with me in a cave. I knew that feeling this way about my boss was a bad idea: I wasn't stupid. The problem with this whole situation is that no matter how bad you know it's going to end up, we've all heard of someone – fictional or not – who has fallen in love with their boss and lived happily ever after. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself, there would always be that one nagging stupid part of my mind that would force me to acknowledge the possibility.

I stayed out past sunset, mentally slapping myself over my feelings. However, I had actually done some scouting, despite all appearances, and had seen no trace of continual aerial bombardment or of any troop activity. There was still no evidence of who had instigated the attack. It seemed the only sign that anything at all had happened was the spire of smoke rising up in the distance from the destroyed Chiss base.

Relying on my mental compass, I made my way back to the cave. In my absence, Corva had apparently gone through my pack and Jedi equipment and found some glowlamps. One had been placed in the far end of the cave so as not to be seen from outside the cave but which still offered enough light for us to see where we were going. Like I said, he was smart.

I told him what I had seen.

"Did you get close enough to see the base itself?"

"No, it was getting dark."

"Tomorrow you must go and see what state the base is in. See if it has been breached in any way. If possible, I'd like to figure out why we were attacked," he said, sounding like a Chiss commander again.

I nodded sharply. "I'll leave as soon as it's light."

His face softened, obviously irritated with his condition. "I'd go myself, but I would just slow you down."

"Those transmitters are our best hope at this point, anyways. I can't make anything of them. Besides," I added, grinning. "Sneaking into places is what I do best."

The next morning, I woke as the sun was just starting to come up. I glanced over and saw that Corva was still asleep. I lay on my side and watched him for a while. His injuries, while debilitating, were luckily survivable. I was grateful for that.

Suddenly, he woke. I reached out with the Force, but the tightness of his jaw told of the pain.

"Are you all right?" I asked quietly.

He breathed for a few moments before replying. "My chest."

I walked over and kneeled next to him. "Here, just relax."

Placing my hands over his rib injury, I closed my eyes and opened myself to the Force. Using my fingers and palm as conduits, I channeled the Force into the bruised flesh; it knitted the bones, repaired damaged blood vessels, and soothed the pain.

I broke off the trance, breathing heavily. I felt out of breath and rather light-headed.

"What…what was that?" gasped Corva, looking at me with widened eyes.

Sitting back against the cave wall, I took a few more breaths. "A Jedi healing trance. Did it work?"

Corva pulled himself up into a sitting position, pausing for a moment to evaluate the pain. Then, he put a hand to his ribs. "It's significantly better. That was…I had no idea anything like that could be done."

"I'm not a healer, but every Jedi at least knows the principle. I wasn't sure how successful I would be, I've not done it outside of training back when I was at the Temple."

"I thank you. I wasn't looking forward to dealing with the pain."

"You should sleep better now."

I glanced outside and blinked. The sun was higher than it should be. The trance must have taken longer than I thought.

"I should get going, it's getting late. Get some rest while I'm gone."

Making my way down the hill, I went slowly to cover my tracks and to reduce any chance of detection. There was plenty of cover, thankfully. The terrain was covered in trees, shrubs, and the usual forest floor debris. However, it slowed my progress considerably.

Finally reaching the valley that held the smoldering carcass of the Chiss base, I paused at the artificial tree line for several minutes. I utilized all my senses; hearing, smell, even attempting to detect any vibrations through the ground. Nothing. I opened myself to the Force and reached the same conclusion: the attack was indeed over.

Still, I quietly ran through the demolished gate and into the front entrance. The general structural integrity of the building was more or less intact; the walls and ceilings were still standing, for the most part. Still something was starting to twinge at the back of my mind.

Passing through the major hallways, I made my way towards the control room. Along the way, I realized what was bothering me. There were no bodies. I knew that with the general mayhem most people would have escaped the building. However, I also knew that not everyone got out alive.

I approached a large piece of the wall that seemed odd. I put a hand on it and stared at every detail. It was triangular, but the angle it was laying didn't match the position it would have fallen in after being broken off the wall. Underneath I found traces of red blood. A very good indication that someone had moved the chunk to get at a body. Was it for funeral purposes or were they looking for someone?

Reaching the control room minutes later, I pulled out my blaster as a precaution. I didn't sense anyone or anything, but I preferred to err on the side of caution. Picking my way through the rubble, I reached the command consoles. Sunlight through gaps in the ceiling and windows illuminated the room. Dust disturbed by my boots gave it an eerie atmosphere.

Diverting my attention to the consoles, I poked around for any sign of tampering or attempts to get at the computer core. There was none. It was possible that I just couldn't detect it, but my sense of observation was quite good. I put a hand on the back of the only standing chair and glanced around the room.

Every computer console was a mass of broken glass and burnt computer parts. There was no way anyone could get anything out of these computers, and there was no indication that they had even tried. Which begged the question: what were they after?

Shifting my pack on my shoulders, I retraced my steps, trying to reduce any signs of my presence should the attackers return. Taking the same route I used coming in, I turned at a different hallway. I wanted to visit the lab and see if any of Nersec's technology could have been the incentive.

The lab was in a similar condition to the control room: damaged but not overly so. I hadn't kept up on all of Nersec's projects, he didn't just deal in weaponry and defense, but nothing looked disturbed. I hoped Nersec had survived.

It was starting to look like the attackers weren't here for any thing but for someone. I couldn't think of any alternative: they start bombarding the facility but taking care to avoid two locations, they come down and take care of the bodies but don't take any technology or information. Next question: did they find who they were looking for? The lack of enemy troops indicated that the answer was yes. However, it was only the day after the attack. They could still be in orbit, going over all their data and counting the bodies. Should they find some missing, say, of the base commander…

My stomach lurched and the back of my mind tingled, indicating I was on the right track. If they wanted Commander Corva but not his base, that would lean towards some kind of power or political struggle. He must know something or be of some value. Perhaps Rotik was involved, he seemed to have as much political influence as Corva didn't. A political enemy seeking to undermine Rotik by using his second in command? It seemed unlikely, but I didn't have all the information I required to make any sort of a conclusion.

On my way out, I took a few minutes to restock on certain supplies. I grabbed some rations, water, and medical supplies for Corva. After considering our position, I also stopped by the armory and grabbed two cherrics and their holsters. I had my blaster and lightsaber, but somehow I felt that additional firepower wouldn't go amiss. Plus I was sure that Corva would welcome his own weapon.

Before leaving the base perimeter, I stopped by the small building that had held the emergency shuttles. There had been three shuttles, I could see the wreckage of only one of them. Like the base, all the dead had been removed. There was no sign of the other two shuttles. Back during the attack, the sensors we'd had showed that all three shuttles had been destroyed. Either they had managed to make it farther and the wreckage was beyond what I could see from where I was standing, or they had just disappeared from the sensors. Perhaps something interfered with the sensor signal.

I sighed. So many conjectures and so little evidence to support any of them. It was best if Corva and I put our energies towards getting out of here. I turned and started my hike back to the cave.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Star Wars not mine, wish it was but it's not, so fine.

* * *

As I rounded the last clump of trees, I looked up the last ten meters of the hill and saw Corva sitting on a rock. He was sitting with one leg tucked underneath and the other stretched out. I caught a glimpse of metal in his hands.

I waited until I was closer. "It might not be safe to be out, Commander. I haven't seen any soldiers, but it only takes one."

"I am capable of taking care of myself, Stiel. I needed the extra light and the cave floor was getting uncomfortable." Corva turned back to the transmitter in his hands. I came up and threw my pack down on the rock. It was large enough, so I sat down next to him, dangling my feet off the edge. I watched him for a while. As he deftly manipulated the small tools, I realized that he was left handed. Huh.

"It is a terrific view, though," I commented, gesturing at the valley below.

"Indeed." His attention was still on his work. After a moment, he looked up. "What did you find at the base?"

I told him what I had seen then explained what conclusions I had reached. He nodded thoughtfully.

"I agree. I'm not aware of Rotik having any political enemies, although it is possible he is involved with something that could have put the base at risk." He gave me a small smile. "Excellent job. You might become useful after all."

"Ha ha," I replied. "Any luck with the transmitters?"

"I've determined that I can indeed make one work." He held up the pieces in his hand. "However, it will require many hours of meticulous labor. That is assuming I don't make a mistake; in that case, longer."

"Well, when the light starts failing you, I brought some medical supplies so I can redress your wounds."

A grunt is the only reply I got. With a sigh, I grabbed my pack and went into the cave to have something to eat and relax for a bit.

Corva sat outside for several more hours until the evening began to rob him of his light. Wrapping the pieces of the transmitter in my cloak, he hobbled his way back into the cave. I would have helped, but I could tell he didn't want to rely on me to walk. The whole pride thing, you see: I could tell he was still a little irritated that I had to practically carry him up the hill. Groundless, to be sure, but he had been through a lot recently. We both had.

I was sorting through our supplies, organizing them and mentally inventorying everything. I heard him lay the transmitter bundle on the ground then slide his back down the cave wall into a sitting position.

"What are you humming?"

"Sorry?"

"The song you are humming."

"Oh," I said, startled. "I didn't realize I was doing it." I felt my cheeks color. "Probably some Corellian song."

"You have a lovely voice."

My face felt on fire. I couldn't look at him. "Uh, thank you. I don't think much of it."

I heard a scraping noise. I turned and saw him sliding over to sit next to me. "Do you enjoy music?"

I shrugged. "I do, but never pursued it. I like to listen to it, especially older pieces. Modern music isn't very good, really."

"Chiss music is similar. I prefer the older works also. When we get out of here, perhaps you would join me. Csilla has wonderful performances."

"Join you?" I asked quickly. Irrational horror filled my chest as I thought about my attraction towards him.

He glanced over at me, his red eyes narrowed in mild confusion. "On leave. I was intending to take time off and visit my homeworld."

"Oh."

"What did you think I meant?"

"Nothing."

He turned back to the pile of bandages he'd been sorting. After a moment, he said, "Do you think you could assist me in creating some kind of brace for my knee? It would make getting around more easier in case we had to move quickly."

"I could try. I understand the general principle, although implementation could get interesting."

His lips curled into a humorless smile. "I doubt it could be much worse than what we've been through."

So, we were going to make him a brace. For the thousandth time, I wished I had paid more attention to basic medical training. With Corva sitting on his rock giving me directions and passing judgment on stick quality, finally I found two that were straight enough, long enough, and sturdy enough for his harsh requirements. Using some bandages and some meditape from the kit, I lashed the two poles to either side of his leg. With some additional meditape and some strips of my rapidly shrinking cloak, we managed to give his leg enough support that he could walk on it without excess pain.

"You'll make a fine field medic," Corva told me, grinning. He was very happy to get back some of his freedom, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Now, let me test my new skills on your ribs and your shoulder."

"Ah, let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

By the waning light of the day, I did my daily check on his wounds. I had yesterday's problem foremost in my mind, and I was prepared for it. I cleaned and redressed his wounds with as much indifference as I could muster.

"How are your ribs?" I asked afterwards.

He shrugged. "No worse than yesterday."

"Would you like me to do my trance again?"

"If you like, I wouldn't want to tax you in any way."

"This isn't about me. Do you want it or not?"

His crimson gaze turned to me rather icily. "Do not play games with me, Stiel. I am being sought by forces unknown, I have a transmitter to fix that could take days, and I certainly do not need you to make things more difficult."

I blanched under his glare, but met it with one my own. "You're injured as well. Don't forget that, Commander. I may not be able to walk for you or fix anything, but I can do what I can to help you recover."

I continued to meet his glare, reinforcing the point, before I broke it off. "Now lean back and let me help."

With an irritated grunt, the anger lines disappeared and the defeated Chiss lay down. Putting his hands behind his head, I laid mine on his side, feeling the warmth of his flesh under the shirt.

I closed my eyes and opened myself to the Force. His ribs were indeed healing; the bones were starting to knit together nicely, from what I could tell. Like the time previous, I used the Force to ease the pain of the flesh around the bones. I felt him take a deep breath under my hands.

I opened my eyes. "Better?"

"Significantly," he replied as he did a full sit-up.

My eyes widened. "Apparently."

Corva grinned for a moment then it faded. "I'm probably going to regret that…"

I laughed.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Just in case, I thought I'd mention I'm borrowing Star Wars from its rightful owners. Not mine.

* * *

After a light dinner of rations, we turned off the glowlamp and lay down. Corva was sleeping easier since I'd managed to speed his recovery. I glanced over several times to see his profile in the moonlight, finding comfort each time.

I had to leave him. After we got rescued and any part I had to play with describing what happened, I was going back to the New Republic. My deeds had likely not been forgotten – that would take something on the order of years – but I couldn't stay here. Perhaps Master Skywalker could find another position for me somewhere far away. Preferably somewhere I could work alone without contact from anyone.

I didn't regret being assigned to Tesar. I was glad to meet the likes of Thavis and Nersec. Even Corva. He was a good man, he would make it far. I hoped Nersec had survived. I knew Thavis hadn't been due with the _Serel_ for another week or so; he was probably safe. That was assuming the ship wasn't still in orbit.

All the evidence still pointed towards the attacker's goal being a person rather than information or technology. The last piece would fall in place if, in the next few days, we started seeing patrols in the forest searching for survivors.

At some point during my thought process, I fell asleep. My dreams were haunting, full of pain and separation. I remember being hit across the face, but the sting of my attacker's words hurt far worse. The words were lost in the mucky scene, I couldn't see anything clearly. I woke long after the sun had rose feeling exhausted and with a terrible sense of impending danger deep in the pit of my stomach.

I rolled over to see if Corva was awake, but he wasn't there. Getting up, I looked around the cave. Nothing was misplaced, and no sign of him. Suddenly I heard the familiar whine of a ship. I walked out of the cave and practically tripped over him.

Corva was crouched behind one of the boulders awkwardly with his bad leg stretched out. He was looking at something between a gap between boulders.

"There's a…"I started but he spun around and held up a hand. Something was up: I didn't say another word.

Crouching behind him, I looked out above his head to the valley floor and saw movement. Small dark dots were walking in a line up the valley only a few kilometers away. My breath caught in my throat – foot soldiers. I glanced up, shielding my eyes with my hand against the glare of the midmorning sun. In the distance, I saw the fast traveling black dot. Patrols.

I cursed quietly, then put my hands under Corva's shoulders, helping him up. Gently but firmly pushing him back into the cave, I waited until another ship passed.

"We're going to have to relocate," I whispered.

Corva nodded. "You need to find another place farther away. Find something not in a directly line with this valley. I'll remain here until the last possible moment."

"Start packing everything. Only move if you have no other choice or I won't find you," I added. Grabbing my lightsaber, blaster, and a water ration, I stuck what I could on and in my belt then went to crouch behind the boulder outside the cave. Once I was sure that I could traverse the ridge above our cave without being detected, I ran. It's a very useful skill, to run in the forest without making much noise or attracting attention. Once on the other side of the ridge, I paused to see if any aerial patrols had been alerted to my presence.

Once I felt that I had escaped notice, I continued on my trajectory, trying to find another cave or something that would be far enough away from the base not to be discovered quickly yet such that Corva could make the hike. I walked quickly, knowing that every moment I spent looking brought the troops closer to Corva.

After about four kilometers, I found another cave. It was smaller, but even more hidden than the one we occupied now. The cave faced away from the valley and was very difficult to find. I only found it because I happened to see some kind of flying creature fly out of the hillside. The entrance was smaller but Corva could get in if he crouched. I shooed out the rest of the flying animals that had been roosting in the back so that no one could find the cave the same way I did. After studying my surroundings to make sure I could find it again, I started my hike back to Corva.

It was midafternoon by the time I returned to the larger cave. The aerial patrols continued without any changes since the morning. Walking into the cave, I panicked for a moment when I didn't see Corva.

"Here," he whispered. I looked up and saw him crouched in the furthest corner of the cave. I likely wouldn't have seen him if he hadn't spoken, he was enveloped in the darkness. He lowered the charric pistol he'd had raised towards my head.

"I found someplace, but it's several kilometers. It's smaller, but difficult to find," I said. Corva nodded, his eyes luminescent in the darkness.

"Everything is ready, I packed everything into your bag. I've put the transmitters in my uniform." I noticed then that he had put on his uniform tunic and there were two large bulges that were not usually there.

"Let's go."

The relocation was about the same as when I had gone by myself, although a bit slower with Corva. I was lucky he was a soldier; he bit back the pain and we actually made good progress. We stopped a few times when the pain became unbearable, but he'd take a sip of water then declare he could keep going. I wanted to do something to take away the tremendous pain he must have been ignoring, but it would take up too much time and he knew it. When we'd pause, I'd feel myself looking at him wishing I could help, but he'd just look at me with his head lowered. The tightened jaw told of the pain, but the look in his eyes told me that he would push himself until we made it.

The final climb was difficult. Corva's good leg was starting to give out from the extra exertion. Finally, he accepted my shoulder and leaned on me heavily as I walked up the hillside. He was holding his arm against his ribs, too, which were getting jostled by the hike and the transmitters that were still in his uniform. The pack was too full for them and I couldn't hold the transmitters and help him up the hill. He continued to suffer in silence.

Once we finally made it to the new cave, I helped Corva to duck and then to sit. He gave such a sigh of relief and of pain that I couldn't hold back anymore.

"Here," I said, reaching out with my hands, prepared to do another trance. His hands came up and grasped my wrists, stopping me. I looked down at him, startled. His breathing was ragged, sweat was dripping down the side of his face leaving dark blue trails, but his eyes were narrowed and hard.

"No." It was a command.

"I can help you…" I protested.

"I won't let you." He didn't let go of my wrists. "You're expending your energy needlessly."

"Corva," I said as seriously as I could muster. "I can heal you without a large drain on myself. I'll spend the night recovering. I have the ability and I'm offering it to you. I need you to be ready in case they find us."

"Only if you swear that you won't be hindered by this." I met the fire-red eyes with my own. I was touched and impressed that he didn't want me to compromise myself for his comfort, but at the same time we both knew I had a point.

"You need all the strength you can get. Let me help." Finally he released my wrists, but his eyes continued to stare at me. After a moment, he started to unfasten his uniform. Taking out the transmitters, I took them from him and laid them out on the ground. Holding his breath with the pain, he allowed me to help him get his tunic off.

I placed my hands on his forehead and his stomach. Closing my eye, I did a healing and rejuvenation trance that Jedi used in battle to reduce fatigue. It was slightly different from what I had used before, but Corva was in desperate need of it. It took more energy than I was willing to admit, and when I let go, I had to bite back the gasp that threatened to reveal it.

Staring down at Corva with what I hoped was a stern look, his eyes met mine unflinching. His breathing had steadied and he was already starting to look better.

"Thank you," he said finally. There seemed to be other words he wanted to say, but he kept them to himself.

I felt my lips curl up in a smile. "Don't underestimate my abilities, Commander. It may not exactly be my job description, but I'm going to do what it takes to get you out of here. Even if it takes everything I have."

"If I'd known the loyalty and determination of the Jedi was this strong, I'd have demanded five of you," he said teasingly. His words were light, but the look on his face was serious. I felt a warm sensation deep in my belly as I realized I had won his appreciation at last; fully and completely.

I stood up, breaking eye contact with him. "You should get some rest. I'll keep watch."

He grunted. I smiled, knowing he would want to keep watch afterwards and knowing I wouldn't let him.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: If you've made it this far, congratulations! While I'll gladly take credit for the writing, the subject I cannot.

Also for those of you who read this far, prepare for a probably fully expected twist! Yes!

* * *

Corva was still inside the cave when I got back. The mist was starting to burn off with the late afternoon sun, and the risk of being caught outside the cave was increasingly high.

"Did you see anything?" asked Corva.

"Actually, I ran into one of the enemy soldiers," I said as I leaned against the cave wall. His face shot up and he stared at me with intense red eyes. "I managed to get the upper hand and asked him a few questions."

"And?"

"They're definitely looking for someone. Whoever's in charge is after someone specific. The soldiers aren't being told who to look for, they're just picking up any survivors and letting the people in charge sort them out."

"Do you know who these soldiers are?"

"They're Chiss, Corva." His jaw tightened but he remained silent. "They must belong to some kind of rogue organization. The soldier said something that I didn't understand, something in Cheunh. It sounded like Kisan or something."

"Ci'sann't." Corva's voice was quiet.

"You've heard of them, I take it."

He gave a great sigh. "Ci'ssan't is indeed a rogue organization, more like your smugglers or pirates. They don't respect any law but their own. They've been a concern for many years, but never have I head of them attacking with such force and devastation."

"What possibly could have changed?"

Corva paused for a moment to think. "If they are indeed after me, they must be desperate. If they're desperate, they could have found a way to get whatever ship they used to start the attack. Perhaps someone from outside Chiss space is invested in this sort of upheaval. I am afraid that this could be the beginning of an internal Chiss struggle that could have larger implications for the surrounding space." He turned back to the transmitter in his lap.

"All the more reason to get out of here, get the word out."

"What did you do with your prisoner?"

"I took him to the creek at the bottom of the valley where he found me and I knocked him out. The most it will look like is that he hit his head."

Corva paused his work. He looked up at me with an intense gaze. I met it unflinchingly. I knew what he was thinking. "I didn't kill him, Corva. Besides, he had to be taken care of or he'd alert his superiors to my presence. It won't take them much to figure out what and who I am. I will not lead them to you."

"Is that the sort of decision that cost you your position in the New Republic?" There was no animosity, merely a step in logic.

Unfortunately he was correct. "Yes."

He continue to look at me, the eyes blazing. "Tell me so that I may better understand."

His voice bore the unmistakable sound of a command disguised as a request.

I took a breath and sat on the ground. "I was sent to discover the source of some problems on this one planet. Turns out it was the fault of one man bent on bending the planet's inhabitants to his will. I confronted him, and discovered he was quite insane. He attacked me, I fought back. I knew that if he was allowed to live, he could put many of his incredibly destructive plans into motion, hurting many and destroying much of the planet's surface. So, I killed him."

The red eyes blinked. "I can see why your government might frown upon that."

"Yeah," I said with a heavy sigh. "Sometimes I wish I had just tried to turn him over, but I know that they would have had him executed – eventually – and by killing him when I did, I prevented a huge catastrophe."

"Now that I know, I believe I would have done the same in your situation. Regardless of what those not involved might have thought." He gave a small sympathetic smile.

"Thanks. Master Skywalker accepted my reasoning, but then he's had to make similar decisions in the past."

"Your skills continue to amaze me, Stiel."

I laughed. I broke off as I caught Corva staring at me with a strange look on his face.

"You are injured."

"What?" He gestured at my arm.

"Looks like a charric burn."

"Oh yeah," I said, remembering. "The man I caught shot me, but I managed to deflect most of it with a lightsaber."

"Deflect?"

"Lightsabers reflect most blasters and can cut through just about everything. Apparently charrics can only be partially deflected; I was aiming for a tree."

Corva grunted. "Interesting. But it is a nasty burn, you should let me look at it."

I shrugged. Corva dug through our medikit, pulling out a bandage, disinfectant, and a salve I hadn't identified. I took off my tunic, luckily having a sleeveless shirt on underneath. Sitting next to me, he put his braced leg behind me and began to clean my wound.

"Ow!"

Corva just laughed. "For all the times you made me cry out in pain, my friend."

I growled, but let him tend my arm. It wasn't all that bad, but it looked quite nasty. Charrics are simpler than blasters, leaving a nasty burn behind rather than a clean shot. I'd been so focused on everything that I'd put all pain from my mind. It was starting to come back now. Corva was actually quite gentle, the only pain I felt was from the disinfectant. Except for the initial contact of the cloth on the burn, even with the drag of the cloth across my skin I felt little pain.

"I think you should have been the medic between the two of us," I commented as he tied the bandage around my arm.

"Well, that makes two of us." He smiled. "I am glad that you had your lightsaber or the injury would have been much worse."

Suddenly I realized how close I was to Corva and my cheeks began to color. "Yeah, I'm glad too…" I managed to get out. I didn't look at him.

"There." With a tug, he finished tying the bandage. "You look flushed, all you all right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Charric burns can sometimes bring about reactions," he said as he shifted his position so he was facing me directly. He put a hand to my forehead which only made the problem worse, then put his hand on my cheek. I looked up at his touch and his eyes met mine. I felt my heart bared before him. I knew that if he had any ability to read the look in my eyes, he surely would know everything in that single moment that I'd kept from him.

I honestly have no memory of what happened. The next thing I knew I was in complete bliss. For one glorious second I felt a happiness I never thought I'd feel. The next moment I realized that I was kissing Corva. Feeling gone.

Pulling back immediately I felt a pressure on the back of my head release. Breathing heavily I looked at the ground, unable to look him in the face.

"I'm…sorry…" I stammered. "I shouldn't have done that."

"I should be the one to apologize."

"You?" I was still breathless and I was feeling quite lightheaded. As my breathing slowed, I realized that the pressure I'd felt on the back of my head had been from Corva's hand which was now loosely held at the back of my neck. My eyes found their way back to his.

"The opportunity presented itself," Corva said. His expression was odd, I couldn't quite figure it out. His hand fell off my shoulder and into my lap where he took my hand in his. "Perhaps it's the extenuating circumstances; the adrenaline, the pain, the suffering. We have some sort of connection. I know you feel it too; I saw it in your eyes."

I looked down, unable to answer him. We sat in silence for a while until I felt my fingers wind around his and I felt a hint of the happiness from moments before travel from my fingertips to my chest like an electric shock.

"You're rather stubborn, my friend," he said with a wry smile.

"I get it from both sides of the family," I replied, then looked up again. "Should we do this? You're my superior officer. Most militaries I've seen don't allow that sort of relationship. And, as you said, these are extenuating circumstances."

"The Chiss military is rather lenient if it is proven that our work isn't compromised, which I think can be done." He gave me an odd smile that made me wonder if he didn't realize I was in love with him before I did.

With a sigh, I released his hand and stood up. He remained seated as I crouched by the door. The sun was setting, the sky an explosion of blues, oranges, and reds. "It's clear; it's going to be a cloudless morning I imagine."

"We should get some sleep then. Tomorrow brings them closer to discovering us." Corva used his hands to pull himself deeper into the cave. He lay down and put his hands behind his head.

"As long as that transmitter gets us help, I really don't care. The farther we run into the forest, we run the risk of not being able to be found." Getting up, I turned to walk back near where Corva was. Crouching, I sat almost next to him, suddenly nervous that the quarters were so tight. He turned to look up at me with such an amusing grin on his face that I had to smile back.

"You're incorrigible!"

"I know," he replied, still grinning. Feeling my cheeks flush again, I scooted down then lay down next to him. It felt strange until Corva put his arm around my shoulder. It felt so warm, suddenly the cave so cold. I rolled onto my side and Corva's arm tightened, bringing me closer. Tucked into the crook of his arm, I felt a thrill in my stomach, a warmness at every point we were in contact, and a very strong desire never to move. As I lay there, feeling him breath under me, I began to hum.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: If you've made it this far, congratulations! While I'll gladly take credit for the writing, the subject I cannot.

Also for those of you who read this far, prepare for a probably fully expected twist! Yes!

* * *

Corva was still inside the cave when I got back. The mist was starting to burn off with the late afternoon sun, and the risk of being caught outside the cave was increasingly high.

"Did you see anything?" asked Corva.

"Actually, I ran into one of the enemy soldiers," I said as I leaned against the cave wall. His face shot up and he stared at me with intense red eyes. "I managed to get the upper hand and asked him a few questions."

"And?"

"They're definitely looking for someone. Whoever's in charge is after someone specific. The soldiers aren't being told who to look for, they're just picking up any survivors and letting the people in charge sort them out."

"Do you know who these soldiers are?"

"They're Chiss, Corva." His jaw tightened but he remained silent. "They must belong to some kind of rogue organization. The soldier said something that I didn't understand, something in Cheunh. It sounded like Kisan or something."

"Ci'sann't." Corva's voice was quiet.

"You've heard of them, I take it."

He gave a great sigh. "Ci'ssan't is indeed a rogue organization, more like your smugglers or pirates. They don't respect any law but their own. They've been a concern for many years, but never have I head of them attacking with such force and devastation."

"What possibly could have changed?"

Corva paused for a moment to think. "If they are indeed after me, they must be desperate. If they're desperate, they could have found a way to get whatever ship they used to start the attack. Perhaps someone from outside Chiss space is invested in this sort of upheaval. I am afraid that this could be the beginning of an internal Chiss struggle that could have larger implications for the surrounding space." He turned back to the transmitter in his lap.

"All the more reason to get out of here, get the word out."

"What did you do with your prisoner?"

"I took him to the creek at the bottom of the valley where he found me and I knocked him out. The most it will look like is that he hit his head."

Corva paused his work. He looked up at me with an intense gaze. I met it unflinchingly. I knew what he was thinking. "I didn't kill him, Corva. Besides, he had to be taken care of or he'd alert his superiors to my presence. It won't take them much to figure out what and who I am. I will not lead them to you."

"Is that the sort of decision that cost you your position in the New Republic?" There was no animosity, merely a step in logic.

Unfortunately he was correct. "Yes."

He continue to look at me, the eyes blazing. "Tell me so that I may better understand."

His voice bore the unmistakable sound of a command disguised as a request.

I took a breath and sat on the ground. "I was sent to discover the source of some problems on this one planet. Turns out it was the fault of one man bent on bending the planet's inhabitants to his will. I confronted him, and discovered he was quite insane. He attacked me, I fought back. I knew that if he was allowed to live, he could put many of his incredibly destructive plans into motion, hurting many and destroying much of the planet's surface. So, I killed him."

The red eyes blinked. "I can see why your government might frown upon that."

"Yeah," I said with a heavy sigh. "Sometimes I wish I had just tried to turn him over, but I know that they would have had him executed – eventually – and by killing him when I did, I prevented a huge catastrophe."

"Now that I know, I believe I would have done the same in your situation. Regardless of what those not involved might have thought." He gave a small sympathetic smile.

"Thanks. Master Skywalker accepted my reasoning, but then he's had to make similar decisions in the past."

"Your skills continue to amaze me, Stiel."

I laughed. I broke off as I caught Corva staring at me with a strange look on his face.

"You are injured."

"What?" He gestured at my arm.

"Looks like a charric burn."

"Oh yeah," I said, remembering. "The man I caught shot me, but I managed to deflect most of it with a lightsaber."

"Deflect?"

"Lightsabers reflect most blasters and can cut through just about everything. Apparently charrics can only be partially deflected; I was aiming for a tree."

Corva grunted. "Interesting. But it is a nasty burn, you should let me look at it."

I shrugged. Corva dug through our medikit, pulling out a bandage, disinfectant, and a salve I hadn't identified. I took off my tunic, luckily having a sleeveless shirt on underneath. Sitting next to me, he put his braced leg behind me and began to clean my wound.

"Ow!"

Corva just laughed. "For all the times you made me cry out in pain, my friend."

I growled, but let him tend my arm. It wasn't all that bad, but it looked quite nasty. Charrics are simpler than blasters, leaving a nasty burn behind rather than a clean shot. I'd been so focused on everything that I'd put all pain from my mind. It was starting to come back now. Corva was actually quite gentle, the only pain I felt was from the disinfectant. Except for the initial contact of the cloth on the burn, even with the drag of the cloth across my skin I felt little pain.

"I think you should have been the medic between the two of us," I commented as he tied the bandage around my arm.

"Well, that makes two of us." He smiled. "I am glad that you had your lightsaber or the injury would have been much worse."

Suddenly I realized how close I was to Corva and my cheeks began to color. "Yeah, I'm glad too…" I managed to get out. I didn't look at him.

"There." With a tug, he finished tying the bandage. "You look flushed, all you all right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Charric burns can sometimes bring about reactions," he said as he shifted his position so he was facing me directly. He put a hand to my forehead which only made the problem worse, then put his hand on my cheek. I looked up at his touch and his eyes met mine. I felt my heart bared before him. I knew that if he had any ability to read the look in my eyes, he surely would know everything in that single moment that I'd kept from him.

I honestly have no memory of what happened. The next thing I knew I was in complete bliss. For one glorious second I felt a happiness I never thought I'd feel. The next moment I realized that I was kissing Corva. Feeling gone.

Pulling back immediately I felt a pressure on the back of my head release. Breathing heavily I looked at the ground, unable to look him in the face.

"I'm…sorry…" I stammered. "I shouldn't have done that."

"I should be the one to apologize."

"You?" I was still breathless and I was feeling quite lightheaded. As my breathing slowed, I realized that the pressure I'd felt on the back of my head had been from Corva's hand which was now loosely held at the back of my neck. My eyes found their way back to his.

"The opportunity presented itself," Corva said. His expression was odd, I couldn't quite figure it out. His hand fell off my shoulder and into my lap where he took my hand in his. "Perhaps it's the extenuating circumstances; the adrenaline, the pain, the suffering. We have some sort of connection. I know you feel it too; I saw it in your eyes."

I looked down, unable to answer him. We sat in silence for a while until I felt my fingers wind around his and I felt a hint of the happiness from moments before travel from my fingertips to my chest like an electric shock.

"You're rather stubborn, my friend," he said with a wry smile.

"I get it from both sides of the family," I replied, then looked up again. "Should we do this? You're my superior officer. Most militaries I've seen don't allow that sort of relationship. And, as you said, these are extenuating circumstances."

"The Chiss military is rather lenient if it is proven that our work isn't compromised, which I think can be done." He gave me an odd smile that made me wonder if he didn't realize I was in love with him before I did.

With a sigh, I released his hand and stood up. He remained seated as I crouched by the door. The sun was setting, the sky an explosion of blues, oranges, and reds. "It's clear; it's going to be a cloudless morning I imagine."

"We should get some sleep then. Tomorrow brings them closer to discovering us." Corva used his hands to pull himself deeper into the cave. He lay down and put his hands behind his head.

"As long as that transmitter gets us help, I really don't care. The farther we run into the forest, we run the risk of not being able to be found." Getting up, I turned to walk back near where Corva was. Crouching, I sat almost next to him, suddenly nervous that the quarters were so tight. He turned to look up at me with such an amusing grin on his face that I had to smile back.

"You're incorrigible!"

"I know," he replied, still grinning. Feeling my cheeks flush again, I scooted down then lay down next to him. It felt strange until Corva put his arm around my shoulder. It felt so warm, suddenly the cave so cold. I rolled onto my side and Corva's arm tightened, bringing me closer. Tucked into the crook of his arm, I felt a thrill in my stomach, a warmness at every point we were in contact, and a very strong desire never to move. As I lay there, feeling him breath under me, I began to hum.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: See all the previous 17 disclaimers.

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The night passed quickly. I didn't dream, only remembering a constant state of contentment. I woke with the dawn, knowing that the rogue Chiss wouldn't have been able to search for us very well during the night. Even though neither of us had moved during the night and were still in that same comfortable position, I'd slept light, keeping one ear open to any extraneous sounds.

Trying to extract myself from Corva's arm, I ended up waking him in the process. Running a pale blue hand through his blue black hair, he looked over at me with a small smile. "Good morning."

"Morning," I responded, returning the smile. "Sleep well?"

"Quite. Your Jedi tricks have helped significantly."

"I'm glad," I said as I pulled away from his side. "I'm going to grab something to eat then do some scouting, see how close they're getting."

"I will continue working on the transmitter. I'm quite close, although the signal's not as strong as it needs to be. Depending on what sort of problems I run into, I imagine it should be working in a day or so."

After finishing off a ration bar, I packed some water and hooked my lightsaber on my belt. As I left, Corva gave me a new smile I'd never seen before. I smiled shyly as I ducked out of the cave, my stomach doing acrobatics every time I looked at him.

I spent nearly an hour at my rock above the cave entrance making sure we hadn't been discovered yet. I could see the aerial patrols off in the distance, but it seemed as though they'd already finished patrolling the area we were in. I couldn't see any foot soldiers either, so finally I made my way down the mountain and followed the valley.

My first order of business was to find out where the enemy Chiss were searching and see if they were heading our way. After that, I planned to figure out where they were not searching then find shelter in that direction. Our only hope was to remain hidden long enough for Corva to get our signal out and then avoid the enemy Chiss until we were found. The chance of success was dismally low, but there was nothing for us but to try.

I was out for most of the morning, satisfied that we could spend at least one, maybe two more days in relative safety. Around midday I started making my way back. About a kilometer from the cave, I saw something move in the distance and froze. After a moment, I saw the long line of soldiers walking up the valley. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized they must have come from the opposite end of the valley, one I hadn't fully explored or scouted. Their speed and the fact that they were coming our direction immediately brought to mind the Chiss soldier I'd knocked out.

Corva was sitting just inside the cave when I ran up, breathless from what I'd seen.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"They're coming. A few minutes away. We've got to figure out something."

Corva immediately stood, crouching in the low ceiling. Staring out the cave entrance, I began to think quickly. It was possible that the soldier I'd clumped over the head had brought them to this general area, but the timing seemed wrong. I had to come up with some way to keep Corva safe, he had to get help and get out of here. A plan began to form in my mind.

"Start packing my bag with rations, bandages and water." Corva nodded, having wrapped up his transmitter. When he was done, he handed it to me and came to crouch next to me, grunting with the pain from his braced leg. I was short enough to stand fully upright without hitting my head, but he was significantly taller. I walked outside, careful to avoid dislodging any gravel that would reveal our position. Corva followed me out.

"We make a run for it?" he asked, about to throw the pack over his shoulders but I took it from him.

"No, I think we should split up. If they catch us, they shouldn't get both of us." I took a deep breath, knowing he wasn't going to like it. "I'm going to create a diversion, have them chase me. I'll lead them away from you. If you stay put, you should be able to hide long enough to get that signal out."

His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. "You cannot think I would approve of that."

"I don't need your approval. It's just logic. I'm quicker, faster and quite capable of avoiding capture. Your best bet is to lie low. This cave may not be discovered. If I can get them going back up the valley, you may not have to move." I grabbed his hand, trying to convey the urgency of what I was suggesting. "You have to make it, Corva. Everything that happened here, everyone injured or dead depends on you. Besides, I told you I'd do everything in my power to get you out of here alive."

Our eyes met. I maintained my gaze and saw his will slowly disintegrate. Acceptance began to set in and he nodded. "I see your point. I do not like it, but I cannot think of an alternative."

"All right. If I take some of the bandages and supplies they won't think I have a base somewhere. If you need anything, try to get what you need from the surrounding wilderness…"

"I know," he interrupted. "Going to the base isn't safe. I can survive."

He gave me a crooked smile but I was still worried. It was risky and I didn't want to leave him now that things had changed between us. But I knew what had to be done. I'd had to do difficult things before, I could do it now.

"I'll wrap what I can into your cloak while you get a head start. If they come this way, I'll be able to leave immediately. Now," he said, putting his hands on my shoulder. "You be careful. Even if they are looking for me, if they get their hands on you, I can't even imagine what fate would await you. I assume the Jedi have trained you to resist questioning?" I nodded. "I trust you to keep what information you can to yourself. But, considering what you've managed to do these past few days, I imagine you can give the Ci'sann't quite a chase."

Had it only been a few days? It felt much longer than that. I was tired, hadn't showered or had a decent meal in a while, and the mental strain of it all was wearing me down. Corva's presence strengthened me; the confidence he had in me refreshed me.

I straightened and looked him confidently in the eyes.

"I'll be careful. Just promise that if you get help, don't forget about me. I really don't want to stay on this planet any longer."

Corva gave a small laugh. "Nor do I. But don't worry. I won't leave you behind, Jaiel."

My heart jumped as he called me by my first name. Emotion threatened to rise over all my Jedi discipline, but I was too well trained. I sighed.

"All right, I should leave before I can't."

Corva let go of my shoulders. Adjusting the pack on my shoulders, I turned to leave, feeling the crimson eyes following me. I made it a little more than a few paces before I turned around and wrapped my arms around him. As his arms wound around me, I kissed him hard, hoping to the Force that this wasn't the last time I'd see him. He kissed me back. I didn't want to leave, I would have done anything to remain there. Duty, however, was the only power in the universe that could tear me away. Pulling apart, we had no words to say.

I turned to the valley, knowing the Chiss soldiers were getting closer. With a last look at Corva, I burned the image into my mind of him standing tall, arms crossed, his expression hardening as we parted. I faced the valley, putting away that image in the back of my mind so I could focus. Survival was the only thought I should concern myself with now.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Okay, so a lot of this I just made up. But I still owe much of the background material to other more accomplished writers.

I actually have the entire story written, I'm just uploading it in chunks to keep from overwhelming any readers out there. If there are any... So if anyone is reading this, stay tuned and every few days I'll add more.

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My thoughts only concerned with survival and my diversion, I slowly descended the hillside. Any sound, any movement could give me away prematurely and it wouldn't take them long to overwhelm me. Additionally, the farther I got from Corva, the less likely they would be to figure out what cave I'd been hiding in. I had control; I had the skill to decide where and when they would see me. Even with the inevitable chase, I controlled the direction.

Keeping a sharp eye, I quickly found the row of Chiss troops trudging through the valley. They were relatively quiet, I heard no chatter, just the crunch of vegetation and gravel under their boots. I crouched behind a fallen tree trunk, trying to gauge the best place to instigate the chase. Farther up the valley I saw the fork of a smaller valley joining the larger one we were in. The landscape seemed similar; it would be difficult to run in, but there were plenty of places to hide and the trees would block any charric bolts.

Running through the trees, I traversed the distance to the valley fork. Looking behind, I saw the distant movement of the troops. I had quite a while before they'd reach me, so I took the opportunity to get a drink and eat another ration bar. Leaning up against a tree looking over the beautiful late spring valley, I might have found myself thinking of Corva. However the Jedi mind is disciplined enough that we can focus on an objective unconditionally. I was in such a disciplined mindset. I spent the time mentally preparing and gathering strength. No thought outside of the coming challenge entered my mind.

Finally, it was time. Securing the pack on my back, I crouched and watched the approaching line of enemy Chiss. Mentally calculating distances, when I judged they were close enough, I used the Force to attract the attention of the lead Chiss. When she cried out and pointed in my direction, I ran.

The line of Chiss broke spread out behind me. At first I was cautious, glancing behind me every few seconds to make sure they were all following. Once I saw that they were taking the bait, as it were, I ran as fast as I could, strengthened by the knowledge that Corva would remain undiscovered.

A few kilometers later, I nearly skidded to a stop as I saw a group of soldiers in the distance. Thinking quickly, I ran up the nearest hillside. Partway up I mentally recategorized it as a mountain – I was tiring and the blasted slope seemed to go on forever. My pack snagged on a branch; rather than be slowed down, I shrugged out of it and kept running. At last, I saw the top in the distance. I was climbing above treeline, so I kept within the trees and skirted around the open exposed area. I intended to cross over this mountain and try to lose them in the valley. I was used to running for long distances, had the Force to rejuvenate me, and was no longer encumbered by excess weight. As I cleared the mountainside and could see the massive forest beyond, I began to slow, thinking I might actually make it.

Suddenly, as if someone flipped a switch, I felt dizzy, empty. It was the strangest feeling I'd ever had. I could no longer sense the Force. I had always been able to sense things; to have it suddenly disappear was like becoming blind or deaf. I almost couldn't function.

I stumbled, something bit my shoulder. Reaching to swipe away the insect, my hand came away holding a small dart. Realization hit as I turned to see a circle of Chiss materialize out of the forest. My eyes started to water and everything became fuzzy. I felt so tired. I remember noticing that I was falling, then there was darkness.

What came next I never quite knew. I was mostly unconscious for most of it, but I remember seeing blurry blue faces and white walls screaming past me. Several times I felt hands lift me, but nothing ever connected in my mind.

The first thing I noticed was that I was lying face-down on a cold floor. Slowly testing all my extremities and working up my limbs, I determined that I was in relatively normal working order. I listened for a while, but heard nothing save my own breathing. I dared to open my eyes but closed them again quickly at the onslaught of brightness. The room was bright, the light like daggers into the back of my skull. I had one nasty headache. I then remembered the dart; it must have been a tranquilizer. Not a huge leap of logic there, but I had been in and out of consciousness for probably several days at least.

I braved opening my eyes again, prepared for the overwhelming brightness this time. I was in a very white room, the light coming from the ceiling in some sort of artificial arrangement. Moving my protesting limbs, I put my hands under me and pushed. With a grunt and some sheer determination, I was able to sit up. However, it had been quite an exertion and I closed my eyes, waiting for the wooziness to go away.

Opening my eyes again, I continued to take stock of my surroundings. The room was bare save for a very simple 'fresher in the far corner. It was a rather large room, likely not made to be a prison cell. Or, perhaps it was. As my mind cleared, I recognized subtle architectural similarities to structures in the Tesar base and on the _Serel_. Wherever I was, it had been built by the Chiss.

Having completed my evaluation of my cell, I turned my attention to myself. They had stripped me of my clothes and replaced them with some sort of nondescript hospital dress. Looking over my hands, legs and everything else I could see, I figured they hadn't done anything too nasty to me yet. The site where I'd been hit by the dart felt rather raw, but other than that I was physically fine, save for a hint of that wooziness. But I was no fool; that would likely change, and soon.

There must have been some sort of surveillance system in place; not long after I sat up, the door opened. The first person through the door was a male Chiss armed with a charric and a nasty glare on his face. He wore no uniform, dressed in what I assumed was Chiss civilian clothes. After deciding I wasn't going to jump him, he stepped aside to allow his companion through.

The first word that came to mind when she entered my prison cell was elegant. The Chiss woman had a natural grace to her step, a balance that made her look almost regal. She was wearing a pure white outfit that offered no clue to her station and didn't look like a uniform. Her long blue-black hair was pulled into a pony tail at the back of her head and her hands were clasped behind her back. Her crimson eyes were half-closed and a small smile played on her face.

"Finally awake, I see," she said in perfect Basic. I continued to look at her, saying nothing.

"You've been out for several days, we were beginning to wonder. I am Initor."

"What do you want?" I asked bluntly. I had no interest in who she was at the moment.

Initor smiled. "You will find out soon enough. You are very special, Jedi Stiel. We have many wonderful things planned for you, once you decide to cooperate."

"Do I get to find out what you want?" I asked.

"In time, but not yet." I nodded, not at all surprised. "Meanwhile, I want you to regain your strength. We have much to discuss."

Now that my mind was clearer and I was more or less fully awake, I realized that the wooziness I was feeling was because the Force was still denied me. There was only one thing I knew of that could have this effect on Jedi.

"Where did you get the ysalamiri? We're rather far from Myrkr, I imagine," I said.

The Chiss smiled, rocking on her heels. "Very good. We learned about their existence many years ago and made special arrangements to get our hands on a few."

"So you're in contact with the New Republic, then."

"Perhaps," she replied with a secretive smile.

I gave her a cold smile in return. "Don't insult me. You speak perfect Basic and you have ysalamiri."

"You don't need to demonstrate your intelligence, Stiel." She smiled again. "Why don't you get some rest. We'll talk later."

Her guard activated the door, standing aside as she strode out; he followed, backing out with his charric facing me the entire time. Once the door slid shut, I breathed a laugh. I was quite indifferent to whatever was going to happen. I had no intention of revealing anything and felt confident that Corva was still safe. I had been captured—not exactly to plan—but it was a small price to pay. Still, the logic side of my brain had noticed the New Republic connection, plus the fact that she seemed to be somewhat aware of my abilities. Something was going on, and I was starting to feel that it was a lot more complicated than I had initially suspected.

I didn't see the two Chiss for a long time. There was no way I could tell time, the lights in my cell remained at full power the entire time. Although I did get food on a somewhat regular-feeling basis, it wasn't very often. I guessed they fed me about once a day. It seemed like forever between meals, which were incredibly meager. I wasn't stupid, there are few reasons to starve a prisoner; to kill them, in which case food isn't a priority, and to weaken as a pretense for interrogation.

I was prepared. I'd had training from many Jedi Masters on how to keep one's mind during torture and such. However, even though they were going to use ysalamiri for sure, I didn't think they'd be able to break me. Of course, it depended on what their ultimate goal was. If they wanted information, they were going to be sorely disappointed.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Nothin' new, just another plea to avoid getting sued.

A/N: Thank you elven-cat2 for the review. I hope I can do justice to the material. As a general note, there's probably several things wrong with some of my assumptions in previous and in forthcoming chapters. I claim artistic license. Anyways, enjoy what I hope is a good story.

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After what I gathered to be a day or so, Initor returned with two burly looking Chiss men behind her. I watched them as they entered. Initor gave me a cold smile and I knew that it was beginning. The two men grabbed me under each arm and lifted me so fast that my feet cleared the floor for a moment before they set me down. Not releasing their grips on my arms, they dragged me along as they followed Initor out the door. I didn't put up a struggle, I probably would have lost. Even as we passed into the plain white empty hallways I could feel the vacancy of the Force. I was sort of getting used to it, but it was still a handicap.

Since locomotion was out of my hands, as it were, I spent my time looking around. The structure was definitely Chiss in origin, although it seemed older somehow; less clean and smooth. The long hallways were white and empty, I didn't see any other Chiss at all. There were plenty of doors, but they were all closed. Either there weren't many of them, or they'd had strict orders to remain unseen.

They took me to a room eerily similar to my cell. However, there was no 'fresher but there were several strange metallic contraptions that immediately brought a chill to my spine. On both sides of the wall, secured several meters off the ground, hung two long wires. I couldn't quite see what was at the end of them, but on the middle of the floor were two ankle restraints.

The two Chiss dragged me to the wires and secured them to my wrists with uncomfortable but not terribly tight wrist restraints, then secured my ankles with the floor equivalent. Standing still, it was relatively comfortable, but there was no possibility of escape. I turned my gaze to Initor who was standing silently near the door. After her Chiss bodyguards left, closing the door behind her, she clasped her hands behind her back and began pacing the room.

Several times she traversed the width of the room. I watched her through half closed eyes, patiently waiting for her to begin whatever it was she'd brought me here for. Her eyes never left me; I felt like a trapped animal facing a pacing predator. It wasn't a fair fight, but I had no intention of making it easy for her. Regardless of what she wanted to know, even if she wanted to know my name, I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of an answer.

Finally she stopped. Facing me, she stood still, saying nothing. I tried to cross my arms but realized the restraints wouldn't let me. Her eyes narrowed and a corner of her lip began to curl up.

"You going to do anything or not? If not, you can just take me back," I said nonchalantly. She suddenly strode towards me and laid a punch right across the left side of my face. Without the split second warning through the Force, I hadn't seen it coming and was completely thrown off balance. I fell to my knees, or almost, but the wrist restraints caught me, spreading my arms and putting all my weight on my wrists. Initor stepped back, the smile taking its place again. I slowly pulled myself to my feet and managed to run part of my arm across my mouth. It came away bloody. I looked up at her and smiled.

"Nice punch…" I started to say, but she stepped forward again to hit me across my right side. I had sort of expected it so wasn't thrown completely off-balance, but I did stumble backwards. I glanced up at her to see the same expression on her face. I understood; I wasn't to speak unless spoken to. All right, I could do that. I took a moderately wide stance and silently waited. Several minutes later, her smile widened.

"Very good, you learned your first lesson quickly. That will make it easier in the future. You are only to answer questions that I ask; no more, no less. If you speak out of turn, you will be punished. If you do not speak when I want you to, you will be punished. If you give me the wrong answer, you will be punished. Clear?"

I nodded.

"Excellent. Now, I'm going to ask you some questions that you are going to answer, yes?" She lifted her chin expectantly. I nodded. With a flash of white her arm whipped out and she grabbed my chin. Leading me towards her, I stumbled until we were mere centimeters apart. She was taller than me; pressure from her hand forced me to look up at her.

"When I ask a question, I expect an answer."

"Yes," I managed to say around the hand on my jaw.

"Yes…"

"Yes, Initor."

"Very good," she said, the familiar smile returning to her lips. "Now I think you're ready for your next lesson."

Walking over to a table placed next to the wall, she sorted through the pile of unidentifiable contraptions before settling on one. As she returned to her place in front of me, I saw two small black boxes in her hand, one of which appeared to be attached to a band. They were smaller than the palm of my hand.

"This," she said, holding up a piece in each hand, "is a remnant of technology from a time long ago when the Chiss were more…aggressive. It's rather primitive and simple, but I find it to be remarkably effective."

Taking the band, she stretched it then fit it over my head. Positioning it so that the box lay on the right side of my neck, she smiled and held up the other box. "What you have around your neck will give you an electric shock whenever I activate it with this remote. I can make it as short and painless as I want, or I can make you suffer as you never have before. Now, I want you to ask me a question."

I paused, unsure of where she was going with this and not sure I wanted to go there.

"Ask me a question," she asked again, her tone dangerous and her eyes glittering.

"What do you want from me?" I asked

Smiling, Initor replied, "I expect you to do exactly as I say. Since I had to ask twice, I get to punish you." Slowly so that I could see, she pushed a button on her remote.

Pain shot through the contact on my skin. I felt my teeth and eyes clench shut with the overwhelming urge to get that thing off me. I tried to pull it off, but my arms wouldn't reach; I tried to thrash around, hoping to dislodge it, but always the pain followed. I almost couldn't breathe, I felt like my heart was going to explode. In desperation, I tried to reach out to the Force, aching for the calm that would curb the pain, but there was nothing.

Suddenly, it was gone. On my knees gasping, I slowly opened my eyes, but only saw colored spots. Where the box touched my neck I felt a remnant tingling; a reminder that my life was no longer in my hands, but in the hands of another. Looking up, my vision began to clear and I saw Initor with that stupid grin on her face.

"You tried to use the Force, didn't you? I don't blame you, it was a split second reaction from all your training as a Jedi. However," she said, kneeling so we were relatively eye-to-eye, "I have no use for a Jedi. I want you for your basic talents; all this training you've had is just going to get in the way."

"You can't break a Jedi…" I said before I could stop myself. The pain returned and increased until I'd vomited what little I'd had to eat earlier. When it stopped and I was gasping for air, she was still smiling.

"So arrogant…" She shook her head. "I'll just have to break you of that as well. I want you to learn that I'm in control and that I can make you do whatever I want. So repeat after me; I am not a Jedi."

I snorted. Initor backhanded me across the face. Still reeling from the electric shock, I was knocked off balance, the force swinging me away from her. As I returned to my place of hanging equilibrium, she grabbed the front of my frock and pulled me to her face. The smile was larger now, but her eyes were blazing with anger at my insolence.

"Let's try that again, shall we? I am not a Jedi!"

I spat in her face. Letting go, Initor slowly shook her head. "Wrong answer."

The collar activated. She must have increased the power; this time was so much worse. I vaguely remember screaming, probably begging her to stop, but either she didn't understand me, or more likely, she didn't care. I tried to reach out again to the Force, knowing there would be nothing there, but not knowing what else to do.

Initor deactivated the collar. "Do I have to do it again?"

Shaking my head, I weakly cleared my throat. "I am not a Jedi."

"I'm sorry?" she asked sweetly.

"I am not a Jedi," I repeated, a bit louder.

"Again?"

"I am not a Jedi!"

Initor stepped back. "Very good. I'll give you a quarter of an hour to think that over."

As I began to feel I might pass out, I began to despair. I'd always drawn strength from being a Jedi, but without the Force I was starting to lose it. My instructors as an apprentice had told me of the ysalamiri, and some of them had actually experienced them. However, I couldn't recall any of them saying that they had been tortured while under the ysalamiri's influence. It was all well and good to walk through a forest without being able to use the Force, or interrogate someone else, but to go through this and have no better chance than a random person off the street? I felt everything I'd ever assumed about myself start to shatter. Was I as strong as I had always thought?

A hand on my chin told me my fifteen minutes were up.

"What are you?" asked a voice.

"I…don't know."

"A very honest answer. Excellent. I think we've done enough for today. You'll be spending the night here. You've made good progress, but I need to insure that you're getting the message. I've set the collar so that it'll keep you sufficiently stimulated." She smiled that same blasted smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

The door opened, but I didn't see anyone on the other side. Initor gracefully exited. When the door shut, the sound echoed throughout the room. The lights remained on full power. There was only me and the sounds of my ragged breathing and my heartbeat.

The collar suddenly activated but only for a moment. There wasn't any of the excruciating pain of before; there was just a small jolt. I waited for a while until the next jolt. It seemed like there were a few minutes between each jolt. The third jolt came at about the same time. However the fourth jolt felt longer. I was beginning to wonder if they would get progressively farther apart when the next one came much quicker, causing me to jump just as much from surprise as pain.

I spent the next hour or so trying to figure out the pattern before giving up. I knew it'd just been a little exercise to keep my mind occupied, but I wasn't fooling anyone. Initor wouldn't be kind enough to give me pain in a definite pattern. It was never up to me. I was completely at her mercy. The truth of this began to sink in. The room was too large and too empty, I started to feel lonely. I wished someone was there to advise me, even to talk; anything.

I found myself thinking of Corva. He'd been the furthest thing from my mind since we'd parted however many days ago. Regardless of my feelings for him, he would have been good company. The whole thing with Corva seemed so different in retrospect. I think he was right about getting caught up in the adrenaline and the circumstances. He was still, and likely always would be, a friend, but that friendship had only changed there at the end. I sighed, as much as to express my weariness and despair as to hear some external sound echo throughout the room. In the end, I was alone. I'd been stupid to think it'd be any other way.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I'll just let the word speak for itself.

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All through the night I was beset by self pity and electric shocks. By the end, I was in a sort of sleepless daze. I was tired, I hadn't slept in probably weeks. There were no dreams, no wishes, no visions to visit, nothing. Initor walked in the next morning to find me semi-conscious hanging from my wrist binders.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully. I wearily looked up. She was wearing the same white outfit, and might have had the remote, but she had her hands behind her back.

I realized she was waiting for me to respond. "Good morning, Initor."

"Now. Are you ready for another day?"

"Not particularly," I replied. I didn't have the energy to think up an appropriate answer. The truth was easier.

Initor smiled. "I appreciate your honesty. It's a good sign that you've been thinking over our lesson from yesterday. So, do you know what you are?"

"Nothing," I said with a heavy sigh. _Fine, I accept it_, I thought, _now leave me alone_.

"Indeed you are. The Jedi failed you, they didn't prepare you for circumstances such as this. You're discovering this. I only break you down so that I can make you better." Her voice had a certain degree of warmth, enticing me to trust. I wanted to, despite all the pain of yesterday alone, I was desperate for any sort of companionship.

"I understand," I said.

"Good. Today is going to be difficult too. But as long as you continue to cooperate, this will go much faster. Since you've had a long night and now that you've made progress, I'll give you ten minutes to ask me any question you have. I will answer to the best of my ability that will not compromise your or my security." Initor pulled a chair from somewhere, sat down and crossed her legs. She kept her hands and the remote hidden in her lap. At some point she must have turned off the random electric shock program, I hadn't felt anything since she'd walked in.

I waited for a moment to see if she was sincere and it wasn't some sort of logic trap. Questions that had burned in my mind the day before being ignored popped into my mind in no particular order.

"Who are you?"

"We are the Ci'sann't. We don't agree with the way the Chiss government acts. I'm sure you've experienced the beaurocracy and stupid rules that they've been following for hundreds of years. Our leader hopes to gain enough support that we can force change; peacefully, we hope, but we are prepared to fight. We just need more…support."

"Like weapons."

"Ships, supporters, and, yes, weapons."

"Then why did you attack the base on Tesar? You didn't take any of those three."

"Oh, I think we did," replied Initor with a strange smile.

Annoyed by the vague answer, I narrowed my eyes. "Then who were you looking for?"

"Who do you think we were looking for?"

"At first I thought you wanted one of the commanders; Rotik or Corva, but I think now I was mistaken."

"We don't need the support of military commanders at this point in our campaign. At the beginning, we had to…convince some of them to see our point of view, but we're past that now. There was only one person at that base that we wanted; someone who had skills that would be infinitely valuable if we could turn this person to our cause." Her lips curled into a predatory smile.

"You were after me." The realization hit me like a punch in the stomach. "You intend to make me into a pawn."

"Not a pawn," contradicted Initor with a shake of her head. "An enforcer. A chance to help make things the way they need to be. And once we complete our mission, you will be our connection with the New Republic, with whom we intend to open trade and communication channels. We will maintain our separate identity, but we will be a valuable ally, which the New Republic will be for us in return."

"So this whole thing with Tesar was just to get me? How'd you even find out I was there, know what I was…" My foggy mind was having a hard time wrapping itself around all this information.

"We have informants in most branches of the government and one on Tesar, actually, so when he told us a Jedi from the New Republic was coming, our leader was, of course, ecstatic. We waited until you'd arrived and he kept us apprised of your situation and what you were doing."

"You had a spy?"

The red eyes blazed. "I said he was an informant. He didn't give us information, mostly allowed us to get our hands on it. Anyways, once you'd managed to convince your superiors to upgrade all their defenses and then get them implemented so quickly, we realized that you were an even better asset than we were hoping for."

"That's why you attacked when you did, then. I was wondering about the timing." With this new sort of questioning, my dull mind was remembering its former sharpness. The cloudiness was starting to fade. "Who was your informant?"

"Who do you think it was?" taunted Initor.

I didn't understand why she was suddenly wanting me to use my mind since she'd done so much the day before to break it. But, I enjoyed the mental exercise, even if it was bringing to light rather disturbing news.

"It would have had to be someone that had contact with the leaders of the base, and who sent information….It had to be Rotik or Rault," I concluded, the realization of the betrayal sitting like a rock in my stomach.

"Rotik, although he was assisted by Rault, apparently."

"I knew his journeys to Csilla were oddly timed and oddly frequent."

Initor shrugged. "He would transmit his reports at a frequency that he'd given us before hand."

"Would that have anything to do with the transfer of his previous second in command?"

"She was asking too many questions and starting to suspect him of something."

My stomach clenched at my next thought. "What about Corva, the current second in command?"

"We never had any interest in him. His name was on many of the reports we intercepted, but he never showed any inclination of being of our mindset. Rotik kept him busy enough to prevent him from asking any questions."

"He survived the bombardment with me. Was he captured?"

Initor looked at me for a moment, her blue-black eyebrows furrowed, then began to smile. "You seem rather concerned for your commanding officer."

I made no reply for I knew she'd twist it and use it against me. Apparently it was written all over my face because her smile grew.

"You cared for him, didn't you? Fall in love did you? I don't blame you. Rotik mentioned how you two talked quite often, even off-duty. He was with you after the bombardment, you say?" Her mind seemed to drift as she was remembering something. "Yes, I remember the team that first caught sight of you mentioned it was odd how they'd stumbled upon you."

Her eyes narrowed and she was staring at my forehead as if to extract what information she wanted directly from it.

"Oh my, but that is romantic." She began to laugh. "That's why you were so cocky when we first met, you thought you'd deprived us of what we'd come for. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but everything you did to protect this Corva? Worthless. I don't even know if they found him. But you, you walked right into our hands. We didn't have to do anything."

Her laughter pierced, my face felt hot. Everything I'd done to protect him had been a waste. The time I'd spent making sure he was hidden, healed, safe, all that effort gone. It hadn't occurred to me at the time that I was the target, it hadn't made sense. The Chiss hadn't put much stock in Jedi as foe or friend, so I'd never expected an attack for my sake. The knot in my stomach tightened as something that had lain dormant for years began to stir.

I turned my attention to the woman in front of me, laughing at my pain, at my error. My breath quickened, my fists tightened around the wires. I felt anger; a hot, boiling, nearly uncontrollable anger. I didn't know what to do with it. The next thing I knew, I'd launched myself at Initor, not caring that I couldn't touch her. The wires snapped me back. I snarled, but didn't try the attempt again. I glared at Initor, knowing that if I'd been able to access the Force, she'd be dead from my look alone.

Her laughing ceased and she regarded me with a look of cool confidence. "Now now, that was uncalled for. Although I do wish you to use your anger, this isn't the time. I'll have to punish you for that."

She held up the remote, turned it up. My back coiled in agony; driven to my knees, I cried out in pain. Physical and emotional. I felt betrayed, violated, used, abused. But above all, there was the knowledge that I was captured and losing myself to whatever this Initor was trying to make me into.

The physical pain ceased, but I continued to scream. Screaming turned to sobbing as everything I had was crumbling down around me. Corva was dead as far as I was concerned, I doubted I'd ever see him again. I had nothing and it was my fault. If I'd been able to understand what was going on better, been able to sense something in the Force, I would have been able to avoid all of this. But it was all over. I was losing myself. I was losing everything.

Something touched my face. Looking up through my tears, I saw Initor had put her hand under my chin and was looking down at me with compassion.

"You've been betrayed by everyone. Everything will be different now. Your anger and your despair hurt, I know, but they'll help you in the long run. I'm going to give you half a day to yourself. You've made excellent progress. Soon, if you're up to it, I'll let you out and you can start building your new life." She wiped away a tear with her thumb. The feel of her touch was calming and my sobbing slowed. "Out of pain comes strength."

Standing up, she turned to the door. Rather than open it and leave as she usually did, she opened it, but stepped back to allow the two Chiss body guards to enter. Unhooking me from the wrist and ankle restraints, they grabbed me under each arm and lifted me to a standing position. I hadn't stood in over a day and was weak from hunger and thirst. Practically dragging me across the floor, they took me outside the room and into the hallway. Initor was in front leading the way. I watched the way she moved, the way her confidence radiated outwards like a light. I found myself wishing for her touch again, for any kind of contact with another person.

They took me to my old cell. The two guards dumped me on the floor unceremoniously, but I was happy enough to be able to lie down and move my limbs as I chose. Initor remained standing in the doorway as they left.

"Remain strong. Think of what we've discussed and be ready for tomorrow." The door slid shut behind her.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaima!!

* * *

I nearly wept with the joy of being able to touch my own face, to wipe away the drying tears; to touch where she'd touched me. Even the faint pain where the guards had gripped my arms. Drinking the water they'd left me and swallowing some of the food, I felt like I was living in luxury. Lying down was overwhelmingly wonderful and I think I fell asleep immediately. I dreamed of my cell, happy even in my dreams to sleep on a hard floor. Initor's face appeared several times, telling me I was making good progress, then bursting out into loud laughter. I woke up several times, afraid that I was going to be punished for something. Then, I'd realize that I was alone and then the desire for sleep would overwhelm me again.

At one point in the night (I called it night since it was when I slept), my dreams changed. The images of recent events began to fade to be replaced by older ones. I had images of Tesar both before and after the base's destruction, I remember the forest and having to climb endless hills. The scariest moment was when I saw Corva's face. His eyes were narrowed and his blue-black eyebrows furrowed. He was angry at me for some reason, maybe disappointed. The rest was gibberish that didn't make sense and I didn't remember when Initor woke me up.

I still had the collar on, but she woke me by nudging me with the toe of her spotlessly white boot, for which I was immensely grateful. Rolling over, I tried to wake up lest I give her an excuse to pull out the remote.

"Are you awake? Good. Now, get up." Neither she nor her body guards made any move to help me as I forced tired and sore limbs to support me.

Once I was more or less standing, Initor turned and walked out the door. Struggling to walk, I stumbled along, barely able to keep up. We didn't go to the torture cell, which confused me when we walked right past it. I did appreciate not being dragged by the two guards. Showing trust and rewarding me, I figured, for "making progress." Still, it was good to stretch and walk under my own power. My ankles and especially my wrists were covered with dried blood and scraped raw. And I was starving. I'd eating everything they'd given me, but after a decent sleep I wanted more. I knew the guards at least could hear my stomach growling, it was a wonder Initor didn't make some comment about it.

Initor had been silent so far, but after a while, she turned her head over her shoulder so I could hear her.

"I have a job for you to do. Our leader feels that you can be trusted with some small measure of responsibility. If you perform it to our satisfaction, we'll get you a proper meal."

"Yes, Initor," I replied automatically.

The hallways remained empty save for the click of their heels on the floor and the soft slapping sound of my bare feet. Finally, we stopped in front of a nondescript door. I was distracted for a moment by a glimpse of movement farther down the hall. We had apparently come to the part of the ship that was being used regularly and I was desperate to see them.

Initor activated the door and we entered. Suddenly my breath was taken away. I felt something flow into me and I welcomed it with open arms. A tear of joy slid down my face as I was able to reach out to the Force once again. It felt like a dam had broken, I was nearly overwhelmed. Everything seemed brighter, crisper. I could sense the boredom and irritation of the two guards, the amusement of Initor as she observed my reaction. I realized I was on a ship, although I couldn't detect the movement. By far, the most powerful emotion in the room came from an older Chiss male seated in a chair in the center of the room.

"This man here wishes to exchange information. He claims he knows what happened to one of our ships," said Initor. The Chiss was looking at her with widened eyes; he'd almost certainly been questioned already. I felt a torrent of emotion from him.

Initor stepped back so that she was directly behind me.

"I want you to tell me if he knows what happened to our ships," she whispered. She hadn't been terribly quiet; she'd directed her order to me, but the male Chiss had heard her clearly enough.

"I don't…" Initor held up a hand and he shut up immediately.

"Read his mind? I don't think I can…"

"You can. You have the skills. Now tell me."

Vague memories of warnings from a long time ago popped into my mind.

"This man works for the Ascendancy. He's one of the ones that we're trying to bring to our side. But if he doesn't cooperate, he needs to be taken care of."

The familiar subject nearly convinced me, but still, I held back.

"The Ascendancy brought us to this point. If they'd only listen to us, Tesar never would have happened and you never would have lost Corva."

The magic word. Anger sizzled inside and a red-hot glow in my chest expanded. I knew what she was doing, how she was manipulating me, but I couldn't stop it. Now that the Force was at my beck and call, it was too easy. I strode towards the man and put a hand to his throat. His fear bubbled to the surface, but I ignored it. His fear weakened him and in a single second I learned what I needed to know.

Looking down at my hand on his throat, I felt the blood rage quell. Snatching my hand away as if it was on fire, I stepped back. I'd just read a man's mind without his permission—something essentially illegal by Jedi standards. Behind me I sensed Initor's impatience; she was wondering if I'd completed my task. She'd made me do it, she'd been training me for this moment.

Initor was turning me into a Dark Jedi.

Everything she'd told me during my torture suddenly made sense, now that my mind was clearer. I shuddered. A Dark Jedi in the hands of the Ci'ssan't would be unbelievably destructive to both the Chiss and eventually the New Republic, would be a terrible weapon. I'd come so close to betraying everything…

"Well? Does he know?" asked Initor quietly.

The Chiss man was breathing hard, his eyes begging. I cocked my head as I considered my options.

"Yes. Your ships were detained on Kithwa for suspicious cargo. He thinks they were taken in for questioning, but he isn't granted enough clearance to find out what happened to them."

I could feel Initor's smile. "Very good. Take him away," she said to the guards. Grabbing the man as they'd done to me, they led him to the door. As he passed, I looked at him, hoping he'd understand that I'd done it to save his life. If he'd held out much longer, they wouldn't have had any use for him. Not to mention what they'd do to me if I hadn't.

"Now," Initor crooned as she turned to address me. "You did what I asked, but I saw your hesitation. I can't afford to have you do that again."

She hit a button on the wall behind her. The door opened again to show two new Chiss bodyguards. With a wordless smile, Initor watched as they grabbed me by the arms and followed her down the hallway. Immediately outside the door, my contact with the Force was cut off again. Still an unnerving feeling, I was better prepared this time and was somewhat used to the feeling.

Passing my cell, I knew what was coming next. Indeed, she took me to the room where she'd tortured me, to punish me for not performing to her satisfaction. The guards locked me into the wrist and ankle binders. My half day of freedom had strengthened me and I wanted to attack them, but I couldn't take them on yet.

The guards left, leaving me to watch Initor silently as she tapped the remote on her chin. Clicks from her boots echoed throughout the room, but neither of us spoke. Initor was trying to build up the tension, but I didn't care.

Finally she spoke. "What was your mistake?"

"Hesitation, Initor."

"Yes. And what are you going to do differently next time?"

"Do exactly as you say when you say it, Initor."

"Indeed, that is the correct answer." The lazy smile returned to her face. Her torture smile. "However, I'm not entirely sure you understand."

The collar on my neck activated, catching me off guard, I hadn't seen her push any buttons on the remote. Pain radiated from my neck, I could feel pain all the way in my toes. My back arched and I screamed. Continuous, excruciating pain. But she was bound to fail. The pain released, but I didn't feel as drained as I had the previous times. I'd seen, even partially became, what Initor wanted me to be. I couldn't let her do that. I wasn't the most powerful of Jedi, but I knew that my powers turned to the Dark Side would destroy everything.

Pain returned, but it seemed duller this time. My mind was on something else. I had to resist. I had to survive to stop the Ci'ssan't, stop her. It didn't matter if I survived, if I ever left this ship. I had to stop her.

Relief. My body felt battered and weary, my eyes were shut and I was hanging limply from the wrist restraints. I felt the familiar hand under my chin. I looked up into Initor's scarlet eyes. She wasn't smiling.

"You're not paying attention. You must feel the pain to learn from it!" She angrily punched a button on the remote in plain sight.

She must have turned up the power. My body contorted as I tried desperately to escape. Vomiting blood, I begged her to stop through my screams. Turn it off turn it off turn it off TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF!!!!!

RELIEF!!! I wept as the pain diminished, barely able to even breath. I couldn't imagine going through that pain again. Had she turned it up any higher, I knew I would have died.

Trying to thank her through my raw throat, all I could hear was a gurgling and something caught in my throat.

"Spit," said Initor. I tried to, but couldn't get my tongue to cooperate.

Suddenly the distant pressure on my wrists was completely released and I fell to the floor. Impacting on my stomach, the force automatically made me cough. I felt warm metallic liquid slide out of my mouth and the gurgling stopped when I was able to speak again.

"Thank…you…" Then I passed out.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: All the characters except for Luke Skywalker, who is barely even mentioned, are mine!! The rest of it...not mine.

* * *

Cold. Hard. I wondered for a moment if I'd died yet, but didn't think so. I was still lying down, so either Initor was waiting for me or I'd been moved to my old cell.

Seeing if anything was in working order, I took an inventory of what I could move. Toes, good. Ankles, not really cooperating. Knees, weak but moveable. Fingers, good. Wrists, moveable but the skin hurt probably from being scraped raw again. Elbows, okay. Neck, decent. I tried to open my eyes, but immediately closed them again. I wasn't ready to deal with the light yet.

Okay, let's try to sit up. I was lying on my stomach, so I moved my hands so that I could push up. My limbs felt incredibly weak, it was like using cooked noodles to push up a dead bantha. I was only able to roll myself onto my back, which I decided was about all I was capable of doing. Slowly opening my eyes, I dealt with the brightness on a gradual scale and eventually was able to look around.

My eyesight was fuzzy, but I could tell that I was indeed in my original cell. Everything was so weak and tired, but at least my mind was active. I thought back to what had happened, mostly to keep my mind that way.

Initor must have been particularly angry with me. I had hesitated, balking at her demand that I enter a man's mind, but I gave her what she wanted, didn't I? Was she angry that I hesitated or was it something else?

Thinking became tiring. I fell asleep, finally. It was mostly dreamless, but when I woke up again later, I felt different. I must have dreamt of something or someone comforting or familiar because that despair and loneliness I'd felt since arriving was all but gone. Maybe it was a sense of purpose. Either way, I felt rejuvenated enough to attempt sitting up again.

Success! Now fully sitting up, I scooted gingerly and slowly to the wall so I'd have something to hold me up. Now I had to think. I needed to stop this ship; at the very least I had to stop Initor. I suspected she was an important member of the Ci'ssan't, and if they got any other "recruits" she'd be the one to break them. She'd nearly succeeded with me. I'd have to get the collar off, but if I did I'm sure she'd notice immediately. The only way I could escape this cell was to wait for my next interrogation or "task," as she called it, and take on Initor and her bodyguards. I'd need to be as strong as possible. I was hungry, hoping they'd left food…yes, in the far corner by the door. There was some water and the familiar porridgy looking stuff. Now aware that food was nearby, my stomach began growling like a wampa, but I didn't immediately move. Discipline was the hallmark of the Jedi. If I had any hope of defeating Initor, I had to do it as a Jedi.

I decided I could only eat if I walked to get it. No crawling, no lunging. Walk. Like a civilized human being. So, using the wall to steady me, I tried standing up. Weak limbs protested and several attempts landed me on my rear. The walls and floor were rather slick also, making it difficult for my hands to get purchase. Finally, I managed to get myself leaning against the wall. Deep breath. Okay. I took a moment to find my balance and start walking.

My limbs continued to protest, but they held me up. I managed to walk all the way across the room to the tray of food. Leaning on that wall, I slid down to a sitting position. With a sigh of satisfaction I put the tray in my lap and began to eat. To prevent myself from essentially inhaling it, I forced myself to slow down by thinking of how to escape.

Things to do: number one, get out of the cell. Two, everyone on board must be neutralized one way or another. Three, kill Initor. Four, deal with the ship. My own survival after Number Four was of no concern. I felt much better about myself now. I may not be able to be a Jedi—I knew I wouldn't have time to mess with the ysalamiri, but at the very least my time with Initor had taught me how to deal with it—but I could still make a difference.

Once I finished my food, I waited for Initor to come.

Several meals and, I assumed, several days later, no one had come. I was grateful, both for the lack of punishment and torture and for the chance to eat and grow—relatively—healthier. I wasn't in terribly good shape, though. I'd started out athletically thin, but now had lost my athletic edge and was even skinnier. Tempted to do some basic muscle-building exercises, I decided against it in case Initor would notice through the surveillance system and decide to get involved. So, in the end, I resorted to mentally strengthening myself by keeping focused and planning what I could

Through it all, I remained fairly single-minded when it came to my mission. However, every once in a while I found my mind wandering to more mundane things. Corva entered my thoughts quite often. I would wonder if he'd gotten off the planet, what he was doing at that moment, if he was thinking of me. I began to think about my mother and father, too. I hadn't seen my mother since I'd become a Knight and my father since I became an apprentice. It had never particularly bothered me; I knew that dedicating one's life to the Jedi often required certain sacrifices. Still, if I ever got out of here, I intended to reconnect with my parents. A side effect of being alone for so long is the need for familiar company. Master Skywalker would be able to tell me where my mother was, if she was out on a mission; she wouldn't be terribly hard to find. My father would be harder. Mandalorians were by nature nomadic and many of them, like my father, were bounty hunters. My mother might know where he was, although they'd lost contact with each other several times in the past. I wondered if it would be the same if Corva and I ended up together….

Eh, it didn't matter. Just idle thinking to take up time while I waited.

By the time Initor arrived again, I wondered if she'd been called to do something more important than breaking me; she'd given me too much time to think. But, she didn't offer any explanation and I didn't dare ask. Back at the torture cell, she had me restrained. She asked her usual questions about whether I'd learned my lesson, the same routine. I gave her the answers she wanted—my time to fight was yet to come. She activated the collar a few times, but I was expecting it and was starting to get used to the pain. When the pain began to increase, I realized that not much got past her. Between activations, I kept wondering if she was going to turn up the power to the level of last time, but although it was by no means gentle, she kept the pain at a relatively bearable amount.

I kept my true thoughts to myself. Putting all thoughts of the future in the back of my mind, I lived in the moment so she wouldn't suspect. But each time I found myself begging for her to stop, I'd remember why I was doing this, why I was putting up with it. Initor no longer had any control over me.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked suddenly, the usual smile vacant from her face.

I hadn't realized I had been smiling, but I kept it on. "I wonder if you're doing this to that Chiss guy." I kept my tone light.

Initor's brows furrowed. "Why do you care about him?"

"I bet you tortured him like you're torturing me." My words were slurring, not entirely by choice.

"For your information, he's not being tortured. He was given a light interrogation then released."

I giggled. "'Released,' huh? Right."

Initor took a deep breath. "I didn't think I'd lose you that fast. Perhaps I've been pushing you too far."

She signaled for her guards. They released the restraints and grabbed my arms. They had to drag me for I didn't have my feet under me enough to walk. Dragging me to my cell, I continued to spout rubbish, enjoying the look of confusion that Initor tried to suppress. I knew she didn't entire believe me, but either she wasn't taking any chances or she had bigger things to worry about. Likely the former; if her explanation was any clue, my conversion was a crucial element of her organization's success. Something I intended to take advantage of.

Upon reaching the door to my cell, Initor opened the door, allowing the two guards to enter with me. They had to struggle to coordinate my limp body. Just inside the door, I suddenly twisted out of their grips. Completely caught off guard, I crouched and snatched one of the guard's charric pistols. Before they could catch me, I ducked outside the cell, slammed the door button so it shut then shot it. I redirected the pistol at Initor who hadn't moved. The expression on her face wasn't surprise nor outrage. It was a calm but simmering anger accentuated by her narrowed eyes. Not one word to say to me.

I gestured with the pistol. "Turn around and walk."

A small smile curled on her lips. She held up the remote so I could see, then activated it.

I struggled against the pain, but she hadn't had it up very high. With my left hand, I yanked the collar off my head and over my hair. Holding it by the band, I smiled back.

"Walk." Deprived of her weapon, Initor bore it well and did as I said. Had the hallways been more busy, I might have had more of a difficult time, but as every other time had indicated, this part of the ship was vacant. I kept a decent distance between us so that I could shoot her if she tried to escape but she couldn't turn around and take my weapon without giving me enough warning.

Upon reaching the torture cell, she turned around and crossed her arms. I gestured at the door activation. She hit the button, and after a moment walked into the cell, keeping her eye on me the whole time.

"This isn't over." Her voice was low and threatening, dripping with command and that simmering anger.

I smiled. "No, it's not. We'll meet again soon, but when I'm ready."

Activating the door, I then shot the panel several times. I figured both Initor and her guards would eventually get out, either by themselves or help from others, but I had bought the time I needed.

Walking quickly down the hallway, energized by my quick little fight, I tried to find some sort of control room or command center. Trying to remember the layout of the Tesar base—it was better than nothing—I made my way down the curving white hallways.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: yadda yadda yadda

A/N: This was a hard chapter to write. Please have mercy.

* * *

Partway down the hallway, actually several tens of meters later, I felt the ysalamiri's influence diminishing. Taking in a deep breath of Force-laden air, I used it to reduce my weakness and fatigue. I became aware of how sharp my senses had become; I could tell how many people were behind each door. Guided by the Force, I continued down the hall.

I could tell I was getting close when I detected the amount of people increasing. I used the Force a couple times to get some wandering Chiss to walk in the opposite direction. I knew I couldn't just waltz into the command center and ask that everyone leave so that I could fly the ship. Some kind of diversion would be nice. I didn't want to kill everyone, I'd rather they just get out of here. If I could get them to go to the escape pods…that would work. Now how to set off some kind of alarm?

I started trying various doors along the hallway, trying to find one that was unlocked and that contained something I could use. Some of them had general cleaning materials that I couldn't use, others were just plain empty. I realized I was still carrying Initor's collar, so I chucked it into one of the closets. I probably could have found a more symbolic way to get rid of it, but I didn't care—I just didn't want to see it again.

One closet that was unlocked revealed itself to be a mechanical maintenance room. I was thrilled and took great pleasure in firing a brilliant blue flash into the mass of wires and conduits. There were some whirring noises that accompanied the sparks and melted metal, then the lights overhead began flickering. Did I hit a major power line? There was no way I could be that lucky. The ship gave a mighty shudder a moment later. We must have jumped out of hyperspace.

A light on the wall suddenly began flashing and an automated message began broadcasting in Cheunh, referring everyone to the escape pods. Thank the Force! I couldn't believe how well my plan was turning out. Still, I wasn't deluded; there were still plenty of opportunities to fail.

I ducked into one of the cleaning closets to avoid the Ci'ssan't members running down the hallway. There weren't as many as I'd expected, the ship was large enough from what I'd seen to warrant nearly three times the people I'd seen. I wasn't completely surprised since it was a rogue organization. The whole not having all your leaders and people in one place when you're on the run from the law and all that.

Waiting until no more people ran down the hall, I gripped my pistol, keeping it at eye level, and slowly made my way down to some kind of turbolift. Large ships usually had multiple levels and I severely doubted that they'd keep the command center and the prison cells on the same level.

At the far end of the hall when it began to curve back towards the direction I'd already come I found my turbolift. The computer voice or whatever was still calmly pointing out where the escape pods were. In the turbolift, I was able to read some of the wording on the access panel. Pushing the button for what I hoped was the top deck, usually where the command center was, I waited. It was a rather long ride, several minutes at least, confirming the size of the ship. The access panel indicated there were about 22 decks—I'd been on 19.

I'd been afraid that the turbolift would stop to let someone on, but either there were escape pods on every level or I was incredibly lucky. By the time I arrived on the first level, I had my pistol up again, prepared to find plenty of Chiss.

The door opened. I was faced with a long straight white hallway. Two Chiss, a man and a woman, gave me a double look. I didn't shoot. Stepping out of the lift, I gestured at it to them.

"Get in," I said in Cheunh. Additionally shocked that such an alien spoke their language, they wordlessly shuffled past me and into the lift. Their mouths hanging open, I waited until the lift door closed before turning around and continuing down the hallway. I found their reaction to be interesting; it didn't seem as if they'd known about my existence, or at least hadn't known much. They also weren't fighters or they'd have tried to take me on.

Directly on the opposite side of the hallway was a door. Approaching it slowly in case someone came out, I discovered a small plaque next to the door over the activation panel. It read, "_Out of pain comes strength_."

My stomach flipped. Initor.

_She was their leader._

It made sense; the aura of command that followed her, the absences from my torture, her invested interest in me. It was interesting, and rather disturbing, that the leader of the Ci'ssan't had such a flair for torture. I wondered how many of her followers knew about that. My mission to kill her became all that more important.

Taking a deep breath, I activated the door. It opened on the command center as I'd hoped. It was almost a copy of the command center back on Tesar, everything was set up in a very similar way. There were a handful of Chiss still there, probably trying to figure out what had happened. I cleared my throat, getting their attention in a flash.

"Leave now and you will live. Find an escape pod," I said in my broken Cheunh. I aimed the pistol to reinforce my point. I stepped away from the lift, walking down the left side of the room. A few of them ran out the open door, but three remained. I could tell that they were debating if they could take me on. I fired at the foot of the farthest one, the blast melting the floor between his feet. Apparently they decided their lives weren't worth it, and the three of them cautiously exited. I followed them to the command center doorway then hit the door activation panel, closing the door. I messed around with the panel for a moment, hoping I'd managed to lock it and hopefully slow down anyone that decided to enter.

Lowering the pistol to the floor, I ran back to the main computers at the far side of the room. Mentally thanking Nersec for my Cheunh tutoring, I was able to see that I'd disrupted power to almost the entire ship. I couldn't determine exactly where the ship was, but it was still in Chiss space as far as I could tell. As I watched, the last of the escape pods ejected, which made me feel better. Although I knew at least one person wouldn't be leaving.

Using the computers, I added to the power system problem as well as I could, but I tried to restrict it to systems not involved with the hyperdrive. I vaguely hoped that I could salvaged the power to take the ship to either Csilla or to New Republic territory, anywhere I could go.

The back of my mind tingled and I tried to expand my sense behind the door…and felt nothing. I knew it was anything but; _She_ was coming. There was an odd sound coming from the other side of the door, then it slid open. Standing in the doorway was Initor with a ysalamiri on some piping on her shoulder, and a charric rifle in her hands. She walked slowly into the room, I felt the Force fade away leaving that familiar emptiness. Placing the ysalamiri piping on an empty chair she gripped her rifle and looked me in the eye.

"You've made several deadly mistakes. One of which was leaving me alive. I don't blame you for trying to escape, but you've made a mess of things. You're too much trouble, now. It's too bad, you would have been invaluable."

"I have a mission, Initor; and don't worry, I intend to rectify all my mistakes. You're number three," I replied with a cold smile.

"I only have one," she said and shot her rifle.

Without the warning of the Force, I knew my chances of surviving were drastically reduced, but I managed to move out of the way just as she fired. I wanted to kill the ysalamiri, but she'd placed herself directly in front of it, and was a significantly more dangerous target. She was making her way towards me, firing rather badly and missing me every time. Without the Force, I wasn't as good a shot as usual, but I couldn't get a shot in anyways, having ducked behind a computer console.

I got off a shot or two until she got a lucky shot and hit my hand, sending the pistol flying out of reach. I gave a cry of pain and she gave a triumphant laugh. That irritated me, so I came flying out from my computer shelter, taking her by surprise, and tackled her to the floor before she could shoot. I managed to snatch the rifle from her hands and threw it as far as I could. Initor kicked me off her then got to her feet. I did the same, taking a fighter's stance. Her smile returned and I realized this could get interesting; she had the look of a trained hand-to-hand fighter. I didn't have a choice; more than my life was at stake, I had to beat her.

Initor moved first. In a whirl of movement, she aimed a high kick at my head. Pure reflexes kicked in, I ducked and stood up again to punch her in the back, but she spun away. I wasn't used to fighting without the Force so I tried to lunge for the helpless ysalamiri, but Initor caught my ankles, dragging me away. I spun onto my back and aimed a kick to her face that connected, but she rebounded quickly and grabbed my leg, trying to twist it. I put all my weight on my back and kicked her with my other leg, managing to get both free from her grasp.

I tried again to reach the ysalamiri, but Initor slammed into my side with her shoulder, taking me several meters away from where I wanted to be. Twisting under her, I threw up my hands to protect my face as she struck out with her fingers. I hadn't realized she'd had long nails, they acted like claws. Finally I got out from under her, adopting my fighting stance again. She did likewise, a maniac grin on her face. We were both breathing rather hard and my limbs were already fatigued from the exertion. I had to finish this fight soon or I'd collapse.

I tried to clear my mind and focus as I would have done had I been able to access the Force. I had the training, I had the skills. Bending my knees to lower my center of gravity, I waited for Initor.

That grin made her look incredibly crazy. She must have been itching for a fight for a while, she seemed to be really enjoying it. Hopefully I could keep my calm and take advantage of it.

Initor spun suddenly, opening with a kick again, but I blocked it. I saw her weight shift and was able to block also the fist aimed at my face. I jammed my own fist into her side, heard her grunt, then grabbed her arm. She twisted out of it and backed up a few steps. I kept my eyes on her, but I knew the ysalamiri was about three meters to my right. I faked a weight shift that she bought, shifting her own weight in anticipation. Instead I used my right foot to propel me towards the ysalamiri. My ploy had worked and I reached the animal before she could stop me.

She was quick, though, and just after I grabbed the ysalamiri she had run over and grabbed my legs. While she tried to pull me away from the piping I reached up and wrapped my hands around the little animal's neck. It was crude and horrible, I know, but I needed the Force. As I felt the bone pop under my fingertips, there was no immediate change. As the cells in the body began to die off, I felt the trickle of the Force leaking into my mind. Increasing as the animal's influence faded, I saw Initor's eyebrows furrow. Suddenly she ducked behind the line of computers and came up with my pistol. I glanced around, but didn't see her rifle.

"You can't escape. Even if you manage to kill me, the ship's not going anywhere," said Initor quietly. I kept my eye on the steady pistol barrel.

"You don't understand, Initor. That doesn't matter. This is bigger." I kept my voice calm and quiet. Now that I had the Force, it was much easier.

She snickered. "Don't pull this righteousness stuff on me. I saw you when you grabbed that man by the throat. You have a dark side. I'm just disappointed that you never exhibited it."

"I did touch the Dark Side, as you well know," I admitted with a shiver. "But what you didn't realize was that by exposing me to the Force again, I touched not only the Dark Side but also the Light."

Embracing the Force, I ran towards her, put my foot on one of the chairs and used the momentum to launch myself into the air. Initor instinctively backed up but I flipped and still landed directly in front of her. I slapped the pistol out of her hand; it flew up into the air and I caught it easily. Aiming it at her face, I allowed myself a smile.

"I let the rest of your crew go. You, however, are a danger to both the Chiss and to the New Republic. I, Jaiel Stiel, Jedi Knight of the New Republic and with the support of the Chiss Ascendancy, sentence you to death for your crimes." Initor had always taken care to avoid calling me by name or title; it felt good to reclaim them.

"Kill me, huh?" she said with a derisive snort. "Jedi don't kill."

"This one does."

But before I could do anything she slammed her fist into the side of my head. I stumbled, but she hadn't intended to hurt me—she was already halfway to the door. The Force wasn't required in this instance; one shot in the middle of her back and she was down. I'd had the pistol at full power. The blast bored through her chest, already I could see the puddle of red as she hit the floor, jerked for a moment, then expired.

Honestly, I did feel pleasure that she was dead. After everything she'd done to me, both directly and indirectly, I was certainly justified. But I was smart and didn't dwell on it.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: If you don't know by now what I've borrowed and what I haven't, please read all my other 24 disclaimers.

A/N: Biiiiig changes up ahead. There's still quite a bit to the story. I hope all of my lovely and complicated twists are keeping you guessing. They certainly were when I was writing them.

* * *

I took the body to an airlock and ejected it into space. I needed to make sure she was out of my way for good and I really didn't need a dead body lying around. Back in the command center I perused the computers trying to figure out what to do next. Initor had been right about one thing; the ship really wasn't going anywhere. However, after poking around the power systems, I managed to divert enough power to the hyperdrive for one last jump. It wouldn't be a long one, so I plotted the best course I could for Chiss space, hoping that someone would find the ship. The New Republic was too far away with too much space in between that wasn't under anyone's jurisdiction. At least this way I was closer to civilization.

The jump lasted about an hour. After the computers confirmed that the ship had indeed jumped into hyperspace I toured the ship, looking for supplies and any Chiss that hadn't taken me up on my escape pod offer. I didn't find anyone, but I did manage to find their mess hall. It had poorer quality food than the mess hall on Tesar did. Initor must not have been able to afford the better stuff. I scraped up some of the better looking stuff and ate the biggest meal I'd had in, probably, weeks. My fight with Initor was taking its toll, I was starting to get sore and my limbs were tired.

Chiss ships make the transition to hyperspace significantly more smoothly than any ships in the New Republic. Once I'd determined the ship must have jumped out of hyperspace, I returned to the command center. It hadn't dropped out by the time I'd gotten there. I watched the timer count down and the power levels dropping. Finally, the power levels bottomed out and the ship dropped out of hyperspace.

Immediately the lights began to flicker. Power drains all over the ship were making for a dangerous situation. The life support system in particular was worrying me. Managing to stabilize the power, I ended up with enough air for about a week.

I was particularly frustrated by the fact that I hadn't seen any windows in this place yet. Months it seemed since I'd seen the stars. I didn't have too much to lose by this point, so I started poking around the console. There had to be some kind of view port…there. On one of the console's monitors I had a visual representation of the surrounding space. After more investigation, I found an observation deck several levels below the command center, on the same level as the mess hall. After I finished here, I would go and see it.

Meanwhile, my trip in hyperspace had brought me rather close to a planet. It was an uninhabited system, the sun having long ago expanded into a red giant, destroying any atmospheres the remaining planets might have had. I didn't have the power to even attempt an orbit, so I used the last remaining power to fire the engine for a few seconds, propelling the ship away from both the planet and the sun. I didn't want to be captured by their gravities before my air ran out.

Okay, I got the life support system up and running. I wasn't terribly good with technology, especially alien technology, but my ability to read Cheunh was incredibly valuable. I even set up an alarm to go off when the oxygen levels got low enough for me to get concerned. Not that there would be anything I could do about it, but it gave me something to do. I tried to activate some sort of distress beacon, but either I didn't have the power, it was already transmitting, or I just didn't know enough Cheunh.

Dimming the lights to the point I could still see but not drain power, I did a quick inventory of the mess hall then went to find the observation deck. It was on the bow of the ship, which was apparently rounded judging by the shape of the incredibly large room. The opposite wall was lined with a cushioned couch that stretched from one side of the entrance to the other. In the center were tables and chairs. A gap between the couches on one side indicated the presence of a control panel. Underneath the metal cover I found two buttons. Pressing the left one yielded no result so I tried the other one. Immediately the wall in front of me began separating and folding into the walls. After a moment I was staring at the stars through windows as tall as I was.

Bright lights in an overwhelmingly black expanse. Out of the window far to my right I could see the sun, a huge orange ball that was bright enough to project my shadow onto the wall. It was absolutely spectacular. It seemed a decent place to set up camp, as it were. I made several trips with packaged water and what food I could carry, making a pile in a corner. Making a similar trip to gather what blankets and clothing I could, I had quite a nest by the time I was done.

It seemed a fitting place as ever to die. I had no illusions; power was decreasing by the minute, taking my air with it. There was hope of rescue, there is always hope, but one cannot ignore the harsh reality of probability. Still, I felt to a certain extent happy with how things had played out. My problem in the New Republic was that I wanted to make a difference and be recognized for it. Now, at the end, I'd made a difference but no longer did I require anything.

Sitting on the couch leaning on a pile of blankets, I stared out of the window. Solitude was something I'd never felt I'd had enough of, but now that I was facing nothing but, I'd have given anything for company. Memories of Corva made it even worse. I remembered his grin, the way his hair looked in the setting winter sun, the feel of his hand on mine. I missed how he'd always answer me with a grunt, the sound of my Jedi tools clicking on the metal of the transmitters in his able hands. I ached for his presence, just to have him next to me. I brushed a few strands of dirty hair from my face, remembering the touch of his hand against my cheek. Nothing I did failed to remind me of him.

There wasn't much to do but sit and wait. I spent a great deal of time sleeping, which I desperately needed. Now that I had a couch to sleep on, I felt like I was in luxury. Finally, after a few days, the temperature began to decrease. Progressively wrapping myself in more and more blankets, I even more earnestly yearned for Corva. Each time I wrapped up in a blanket, I imagined it to be his arms; warm and inviting. I knew I might never see him again, but he was all I had to cling to as my existence slowly wound to a close.

Not long after I noticed the air beginning to thin. I'd programmed the life support system to filter as best it could, but I knew I'd soon run out of precious oxygen. Finally, nested within every blanket I'd found and wearing what little clothing I'd found, the alarm alerted me that my time was drawing near. The mechanical voice blandly offered me the somber news: I had about a day or so left. Wanting to throw something at the wall, I wished I'd never set that alarm. It had seemed useful at the time, but I didn't want to be reminded of what I already knew.

Barely conscious from the thin air and the cold, my mind wandered to my family. The galaxy could offer gems, fabric, palaces, majestic landscapes, exotic foods, and beautiful cultures. I'd have given up everything just to have someone hold my hand. _I'm sorry I couldn't make it home, mother_, I thought. _I just wish Corva was here_.

I remembered nothing after that.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Not my stuff, just my characters.

Thanks for the kind reviews - now on to the story!

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Something warm touched my face. It startled me, but my body didn't respond. The warmth was unbelievably comforting. I wondered if I'd reached the afterlife, something I'd never particularly believed in. Had I been wrong?

As the delicious warmth left my face and slipped down to my neck, I began to realize that I wasn't dead.

Someone was checking for a pulse.

"Mandrello. I found her, she's in what seems to be the forward observation deck," said a quiet voice.

The loudest noise I'd heard in days startled me again. Stiff joints and cold limbs started to feel again. I could tell I was horizontal and my face was uncovered. With a great effort I begged my limbs to move. The warm hand was on my face again. I had to see who it was.

My eyelids were initially uncooperative, but I was determined and forced them open. Everything was blurry, but thankfully not terribly bright. The overhead lights were on but dim. I saw a figure in front of me who, oddly enough, wasn't blue. As my vision cleared, the blur took the form of an older woman with black hair and bright blue eyes. Her mouth was curled into a worried smile.

"Mother?" I stammered. It couldn't be. I had to have been hallucinating, she was thousands upon thousands of light years away. But the warmth from her hand, the feel of another's hand on my skin…it was too real.

"It's me, Jaiel. I'm sorry it's been so long," she said in that same quiet voice. I tried to sit up, she grabbed my arm and helped steady me. "Take it easy, don't take things too fast."

"I'm just cold," I said, dismissing her concerns with a tired wave of my hand. Under the overly concerned glare of my mother, I wiggled my toes to get the feeling back in my legs. There was the sound of boot heels and a figure appeared at the doorway. Breath caught in my throat when I saw the familiar figure and black uniform.

"There is still no sign of the crew, although I did find her lightsaber and blaster," Corva said to my mother as he walked in. His scarlet eyes met mine for a moment, his expression unreadable. After a moment they moved on to meet the blue equivalent of my mother.

"The crew is gone, they took the escape pods. I'm the only one left." Confusion crossed the faces of my mother and, less noticeably, Corva. That made me smile. "I'm so glad to see you both. I'd love to chat, but I'm cold and would love to eat something hot. Preferably somewhere other than this ship."

My mother laughed. "I'm sure we could arrange that." She was interrupted by a beep from the unfamiliar comlink at her belt. It must have been given to her by the Chiss. Holding it to her lips, she answered, "Mandrello."

"The Aristocracy has initiated contact and would like to talk to you, Jedi Mandrello," said another familiar voice, one more distant in my memory.

"Is that…"

"Thank you, Thavis. I'll be right there." She clicked off the comlink and sighed. "We should be leaving soon but take your time, Jaiel, we can afford to wait. I'll see you back on the _Serel_." With a quick kiss to my forehead and taking my lightsaber and blaster from Corva, she was gone. Silence descended once more, but it was no longer empty. I turned to Corva, who was standing still as a statue, his face in shadow. There was so much I wanted to say; to tell him how much I missed him, how much I longed for his touch, his mere presence. Words wouldn't come, I could find none suitable; I couldn't even start.

"Do you require assistance?" he finally asked. The luminescent eyes glittered in the dim light. Oh, the understatement.

I shook my head and without thinking tried to take a step.

In the excitement of the moment I'd clean forgotten that I'd been stuck in a nearly frozen state for several hours. My legs, needless to say, were rather numb, not to mention rather uncooperative after weeks of malnutrition. I'd have twisted every joint from my hips down if Corva hadn't grabbed me around the waist first.

A short breath of laughter escaped my lips. "Thanks," I muttered.

"My pleasure," replied Corva. His glorious ruby eyes mesmerized me, I felt myself caught in the red tidal pools. His features, so alien and so exotic, were so striking.

One corner of his mouth was curled in a smile, but I understood. After all this time, he was the one supporting me. Finally finding my feet again, I shrugged out of Corva's loose grip on my waist. He honored my wishes but walked right behind me, his hand at the small of my back, not touching, but there should I stumble.

The shuttlebay was several levels below the observation deck. Corva remained close the whole way, never saying a word. I was glad to have his presence nearby. I wanted to say something, break the silence. For some reason he seemed distant, unwilling to resume what had started back in the cave. Retrospect can change anyone's mind. He was at least willing to remain my friend for which I was quite grateful. Still, I hoped at some point in the near future to be able to have a talk with him and get some things straightened out.

The _Serel_ was as shiny and sleek as I'd remembered. Walking up the ramp, after a few stumbles that thankfully didn't require Corva's assistance, I entered the main body of the ship. Corva pointed me towards a small room in the back where I gratefully sat down, my body not used to so much exertion. After seeing that I was comfortably placed, Corva vanished somewhere towards the cockpit. I was overwhelmed by today's course of events and didn't bother to follow.

Soon my mother came by. After a quick check to satisfy her that I was, in fact, fine, she sat down next to me.

"So how'd you find me? I never thought I'd even wake up again," I said.

"It wasn't easy, I had my doubts," replied my mother with a shrug and a look of relief.

"Well? Start at the beginning, then."

With a quick shake of her head, she replied, "I can provide only some of the story, Jaiel. Corva and Thavis'll have to fill you in on the beginning."

I peered around the corner of the doorway for the two Chiss. "They should be done soon, I would imagine. Where exactly are we headed?"

"Well, that's something we have to discuss. I'd like to get you back to New Republic territory before anything else happens to you. However, the Chiss Ascendancy wants to have a meeting with you."

"The Ci'ssan't." Right.

Mother threw up her hands. "I don't know about any of this, so I'm not really in a good position to advise you."

Thinking for a moment, I sighed. "I do have information that the Ascendancy needs to know. Where exactly is our course taking us?"

Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, my mother thought for a moment. "I can't quite remember what Thavis said, but we're headed in that direction at least."

Nodding, I stood up. "If you can tell Thavis, I'd like to find something to change into." I was still wearing the outfit Initor had tortured me in, plus I was wearing several layers from when I was avoiding hypothermia. My mother glanced at my clothes, crossed her arms and gave me a playfully stern look.

"I had noticed your fashion sense was slipping. I'll see what I can find."

"Thanks," I replied dryly.

Flashing me a large grin, she left, returning a few minutes later with an armful of fabric.

"Thavis doesn't exactly have much, but I grabbed shirts and some pants. There's also my Jedi robe, if you want to go that route."

Handing me her loot, I sorted through it. "This'll work well enough. Did you talk to Thavis yet?"

"Just enough to tell him you wanted to talk to the Ascendancy and where to find various pieces of clothing. I'd never seen a Chiss blush before, it was an interesting experience."

"Very funny," I said with a snort. "Now leave me alone, I need a shower."

"I was wondering where the dead Bantha smell was coming from…" She had to duck as I threw one of Thavis's shirts at her.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer. Again. Yeah.

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An hour later I actually could describe myself as a human being. Weeks of grime, sweat, and even some blood had been washed off. I hadn't remembered my skin being this new smooth color, I almost believed the splotchy spots were permanent. I'd washed my hair and was ashamed at the state of Thavis's shower when I was done. Luckily, dirt is more or less easy to clean and I managed to remove any trace of what I'd carried into the shower. Wrapping myself in my mother's robe, I found some kind of cording that I used to tie around my waist. It felt amazing.

It was quiet on the ship. Finding a chronometer, I discovered the hour was quite late. A quick tour of the ship found Thavis dozing in the cockpit (I decided not to disturb him) and my mother had fallen asleep in one of the small bedrooms. I was almost afraid to find Corva. I wasn't sure what I would say if I found him awake. But I had something I had to clear up, and now was as good a time as any.

I found him in one of the small rooms in the back of the ship, far from any noise and distraction. He had left the door open. Glancing in, I saw him lying on his back reading a data pad from a dim light above his bunk. His uniform tunic was hanging off the back of a small chair. After a small pause, I knocked on the doorway to alert him to my presence.

He lowered his datapad and looked in my direction. Weary eyes lined with many sleepless nights found my face. Tossing the pad onto his bunk, he stood.

"Jaiel, I didn't realize you were still awake."

I shrugged. "My sense of time is non-existent, I didn't realize everyone had gone to bed."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

I looked him in the eyes, wondering if everything I'd remembered about him had been distorted during my torture. Had I misremembered in my desperate need to know someone was waiting for me?

"Actually, I had something to ask you," I said, wrapping my arms around my middle in some sort of vain attempt at self-security.

His brow furrowed but he nodded. "Of course."

"Well," I started, then faltered. But I had to know. "I was wondering if it was just me, but you seemed to be avoiding me. Maybe not avoiding, but…I just thought your reception would have been, well, different."

Corva said nothing, only grasping his wrists behind his back and turning to the side. He stared at the wall for a moment and I feared that somehow I'd insulted or angered him.

Turning to face me, he gave a sigh. "You are right, I have been avoiding speaking with you. You must understand, however, that it was not because I didn't wish to. I didn't want to overwhelm you once you'd been rescued. You've had some difficult experiences, I've seen it in your face when you think about the past." He let go of his wrists and half-crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I've never been in a situation like this, rescuing someone who wasn't just a subordinate. I figure you'd come to me of your own will when you were ready. I didn't know what else to do."

I gave a breath of mirthless laughter. "It's okay, I think I understand. I was afraid that I'd created something between us that didn't exist. I thought maybe you'd reconsidered."

"Even if I had, I would still offer my services as your friend, Jaiel. We've been through too much. I owe you my life."

"Owed," I corrected him. "I think getting me off that ship nulls that debt."

A small smile turned the corner of his mouth. "If you say so."

"I do say so," I replied, returning his smile. Glancing at the floor, I wished that he'd been there for me back on that ship.

"There," he said and pointed at me, interrupting my thought. "That look on your face. What happened on that ship? What did they do to you?" I sensed anger.

Sighing, I gave a weak smile. "It wasn't pleasant, I'll tell you that. But I'm still trying to come to terms with it. I'd sort of forgotten about it when I was just concerned with surviving, but now, I'm starting to remember again. It's…difficult. I need…"

I couldn't finish because I didn't know what I needed. Corva's arms fell to his side and the anger melted. I closed my eyes, trying to quell the huge tangled mass of emotion that was threatening to erupt. I don't remember moving, don't remember not moving, but suddenly we were mere centimeters apart. I put my hands on my face and leaned into him. His arms wound tightly around me without hesitation. I didn't cry, and didn't speak. I felt his strength; the strength I knew I would need in the coming days.

I didn't spend the rest of the night in Corva's room, although I'm sure few would have denied it to me. Comfortable in the knowledge that he'd be there for me when it would get rough, I made my way back to my own room to meditate for the first time in weeks.

Meditation was, to me, mostly something to do when there was nothing else to do. Most of the time I did it out of habit. My Jedi instructors practically swore by the power of meditation. As an apprentice I'd gone through a phase where I tried to see what all the fuss was about. The good masters through meditation were able to put their finger on the heartbeat of the universe to detect upcoming events or to put current ones into their proper context. Eventually I realized that I didn't have that depth of understanding of the Force and just accepted meditation as a way of reflecting on what I'd seen.

This time, something felt different. Closing my eyes and allowing the Force to flow into me, instead of the flow of information and jumble of thoughts, I began to detect slight variations allowing me to distinguish smaller streams within the greater flow. I could follow these smaller flows to their conclusion where I'd find even smaller strands. Feeling my way through the flow of the universe, I was able to pick out certain "threads" of galactic events. Once secure in my ability, I allowed my instinct to pick one out for me. Mentally separating it from the flow, I followed it closely.

Words and phrases started popping into my mind. _Strategy. Trap. Chiss. Lure. Tesar. Ci'ssan't. Initor. Prize. Plan. Taken care of. Ascendancy. Knew the whole time. Jedi._

The words came again, only faster.

_Ascendancy. Lure. Jedi…Plan…Taken care of…knew the whole time Ci'ssan't Tesar Chiss Strategy…_

My eyes flew open.

Realizing I was breathing hard I calmed myself. I knew I had just lit onto something terribly important, but it had all come so fast and so intensely. I'd have to think about it for a while to make any sense of it, assuming there was any sense to make of it.

Not usually tired after meditating, I felt exhausted, so I slept for several hours until my mother roused me.

"We're nearing Csilla, Jaiel. You've got about an hour before we land. It'll probably some time after that when we meet with a Chiss representative, but be ready."

Stretching tired muscles, I nodded. "Good. I'll get dressed and meet you in the cockpit."

Slowly waking myself up, I dressed in the clothes my mother had found for me earlier. Unfortunately Thavis wasn't my size; the black shirt hung loose on my frame, the pants even worse. Idly I wished that Sarya could have just once not been as thorough as she usually was, and that she'd have forgotten some of her clothes. As for shoes, I'd still had the ones I'd taken from the Ci'ssan't ship. I'd had some choices at the time, so my pair fit decently enough to be seen in public. After I was done, I was a shabby sorry excuse for a Jedi. Hopefully my testimony would convince the Chiss Ascendancy otherwise.

Trying desperately to hide the bagginess of my shirt, I walked to the cockpit. Everyone was already there, so I peered from between their shoulders. Through the faintly familiar cockpit window, I caught my first sight of Csilla.

The white marbled planet seemed small from where we were. Awaiting permission from Chiss authorities, Thavis had brought the _Serel_ to a stop.

The communication console buzzed, indicating an incoming transmission. Thavis reached over and keyed it on.

I could only identify some of the Cheunh words; they were spoken fast and many of the words I hadn't learned. "_……__Serel__……Aristocra…….board at your convenience._"

Thavis responded quickly and flicked the communicator off.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"The Aristocracy is not comfortable having strangers on their soil. We will be meeting one of their representatives on a Chiss vessel. There you will make your report," answered Corva. He was staring at the control panel, obviously concentrating on something.

"Sounds typical. Is there anything I should be worried about?"

Corva paused. "No, I don't believe so. It is likely you would have met the same representative on the planet. The meeting place shouldn't indicate anything particularly worrisome."

"Are we all meeting this representative, or just Jaiel?" asked my mother.

"They are likely expecting only Jaiel, but they should have no objection should any of us wish to accompany her."

"I for one wouldn't mind if all of you went. It would probably explain a few gaps in my story, as well as any in yours. I imagine they'd be interested in having all the data, as it were," I said. Corva gave a slight shrug but didn't answer. "Okay, so is there any protocol or anything I should be aware of, so I don't offend anyone by walking in the door the wrong way?"

"The Aristocracy might have had certain expectations in the past, but continued contact with the New Republic and other races is forcing the Chiss to be more lenient in such matters. You will be seen as the leader; you are responsible for introductions and will answer all their questions unless they specifically ask one of us."

"Despite the fact that you're a Chiss commander and my commander at that?"

Corva nodded. "You are the reason we are all here."

Taking a deep breath I stood up straight. "Very well. Thavis, make the arrangements."

As Thavis contacted the Ascendancy, I caught my first glimpse of a Chiss ship.

Contrary to what I'd thought about Chiss spacecraft, there was no single design shared by all ships. Rather than the smooth streamline design of the _Serel_, the diplomatic ship Thavis was in the process of docking with was more angular; varying lateral fins and rough edges. It was not unlike how I remember Master Skywalker described the _Chaf Envoy_ in his report from years ago when he and Master Jade-Skywalker investigated the remains of Outbound Flight.

As far as I knew, this wasn't the same representative that the Jedi had met before. I'd caught part of a name in the transmission, but Thavis had turned down the volume by that point and I still couldn't grasp quick technical transmissions in Cheunh.

Thavis swiveled his chair. "We will be docking in a few moments. The Chiss representative will be awaiting our party."

I glanced at Corva. "Should I reply?" He shook his head. "All right, then, let's get ready."


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer.

* * *

Feeling the physical connection of the two ships through the vibrations under my feet, I continued to struggle with my appearance. I knew that circumstances in this area were beyond my control and that the Chiss were aware of my situation, even if not familiar with the details. Still, the ingrained training of making a good first impression was hard to kick. I settled for a determined look that would hopefully bring their attention to what I had to say, that my clothes were insignificant next to my mission.

Moments after the docking procedure had been completed, Thavis appeared behind Corva and gave me a small encouraging smile.

The ramp lowered.

Walking down the sloped landing, followed by my mother, Corva and Thavis, I met with two Chiss; a man and a woman, both dressed in rather formal robes.

"Greetings. I am Aristocra Mitth'rak'kumvit. This is my assistant Selic'insi'nuruodo." His voice was low, his Basic good but accented. I saw wisps of gray hair at his temples. His look was stern but not unfriendly. And he was tall.

I bowed at the waist. "Greetings, Aristocra. I am Jedi Knight Jaiel Stiel."

"You were questioned by the Ci'ssan't then, I presume?"

"Tortured and manipulated. There was very little questioning."

The Aristocra's left eyebrow rose a centimeter. "Indeed. I look forward to your account of events."

"Of course. Also, may I present Jedi Master Arryn Mandrello who was part of the rescue party, as were…" I struggled to remember—and pronounce—Corva and Thavis's full names.

"Selic'orv'aulis and Dreth'avi'sevist," filled in Corva, thankfully. I noticed there was no mention of rank or position. Protocol, or did Corva assumed the Aristocra already knew them?

With a nod to each person as they were presented, Aristoctra Mitth'rak'kumvit turned his attention back to me.

"You may address me as Aristocra Thrakk, my aide Cinsin." I returned the nod. Cinsin was younger than Thrakk although older than me. Her blue-black hair was rather long, hanging down to the middle of her back in a loose but tidy flow. She seemed pretty enough and her expression was friendly.

"If you would follow me, we will get started," said Thrakk, gesturing towards the door behind him. I gave a short bow and fell in behind him as he led the way. I heard the others follow.

Thrakk's tall frame made for long black robes that flowed loosely behind him; waves that matched the robes on Cinsin. His stride was long, his pace difficult, but I managed to keep up.

Passing through the remarkably familiar smooth white walls, we came to a small conference room. Ushering us in, Thrakk entered last. There was a large oval table dominating the room with probably 10 chairs surrounding it. Thrakk pointed me towards the chair at the narrowest point on the opposite side of the room while he sat at the point closest to the door. My companions scattered across the table, my mother making sure that she sat next to me, Thavis and Corva in the middle. Cinsin sat to Thrakk's right, pulling a personal data recorder from her robes.

"If you please, Jedi Stiel, if you would repeat everything, my aide will record what you say. I have read Commander Selic'orv'aulis's report, so you need only fill in from the beginning of the attack until your rescue on the Ci'ssan't vessel," Thrakk said, folding his hands on the table.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to include the testimonies of my companions. It would flesh out the story better for me and likely for you. There's some information about the attack that I won't be able to provide you."

Thrakk's eyes flickered in mild irritation, but it passed away just as quickly. "As you wish," he said with a wave of his hand.

Taking a deep breath, I began to tell him about the initial attack on Tesar. I looked to Corva a few times to fill in some details, but he kept his input to a minimum. From what he had told me earlier, he had already given his report. Still, I wanted to catch up myself, so I sort of prodded him into assisting me.

"Now, after Corva and I split up, I have no idea what happened on Tesar after that," I finished, looking to him to continue the narration.

"Once you'd led the troops away, I spent the rest of the day making sure they didn't double back. Your ruse apparently worked, I never saw any of them again. The next day I activated the transmitter and put it outside the cave to reduce interference. I had enough food and water for a few days, plus I knew I could forage if I needed to.

"Later that day, I received a reply from Captain Thavis, here. Once we'd gotten coordinates figured out, I met him in a clearing."

"I'd seen the ships in orbit by then, but had hid behind one of the moons. I knew something was up, so I decided to stay and wait for an opportunity to find any survivors," spoke up Thavis.

"By the time he arrived, the ship had already disappeared," continued Corva. "When did they leave?"

"About the time I received your communication. It was rather sudden. A shuttle arrived from the surface then the whole convoy left."

I frowned, knowing what had been on that shuttle. I said nothing; it wasn't time to tell them. Thrakk asked a quick question about the timing of their communication that Thavis answered.

"Odd indeed," continued Corva. "I immediately asked Thavis to contact the Ascendancy to report what happened. They said they would send a scouting party to gather evidence and see if what I said was true. Meanwhile, I asked that a rescue party be formed to search for Jaiel," he said with a sideways glance in my direction. "The request was put on hold while they waited for the scouting party to report. It was several days before they returned and at least a day until I was allowed access to their report."

"We were concerned that every moment wasted would be one less moment Jaiel would have," Thavis added.

"It became clear quite immediately that the Ascendancy didn't support my request for a rescue party." Corva sighed, the first remotely emotional response I'd seen from him since we'd started. "As I'd been allowed to take personal time off before they reassigned me, I discussed it with Thavis and we both agreed to contact the Jedi of the New Republic."

He fixed his intense red eyes on me. "I remember you spoke of a Master Skywalker many times, so I decided to start there. Thavis knew better how to contact the New Republic, so I relied on his expertise."

Feeling the burn of his eyes, I was rather relieved when he flickered his attention to Thavis who spoke up again. "The Jedi were the ones who made the initial transfer of Jaiel when she first entered Chiss space. I sent a message to Skywalker, who immediately contacted us with a favorable response. We were to meet Master Mandrello, here, who would assist us."

My mother smiled. "Luke—Master Skywalker—told me what you'd said, that Jaiel had been gone for several days and was suspected of having been captured by some enemy."

"Out of curiosity, why did Master Skywalker choose you?" asked Corva. There was no animosity or accusation; just, as he said, curiosity.

I blinked. "Don't you know? She's my mother."

Even without the Force, the surprise of both Thavis and Corva was immediately apparent. Two pairs of blue-black eyebrows shot up and two pairs of eyes widened. My mother and I both chuckled.

"I…had no idea. Your names…don't humans share last names when they are related?" asked Thavis, stuttering.

"In most cases. Both my father and mother are well known in the New Republic; I thought it would be more prudent if I used a different last name so as not to be associated with either of them. I had my own reputation to deal with, I didn't need both of theirs."

Thavis cocked his head in accession. "I can see the benefit in that."

"Anyways," continued my mother. "I had been in the middle of a rather easy mission, so I let my apprentice take charge. It took a few days to get to the rendezvous point, but as soon as I got on board, we went back to Tesar to do what we could.

"It took all our talents. Thavis was able to use the ion trail to determine the direction the ships had taken. Several days of pouring over star charts of the general area plus all the intelligence reports Corva could extract from the Ascendancy, and we had narrowed it to an area of space that would have taken us years to fully search."

"Master Mandrello's Jedi skills were incredible," Corva said. "At the time, I'd had doubts as to a Jedi's ability except for Jaiel's diversionary tactics and, of course, her healing abilities, but once we'd entered that region of space was able to give us a general direction."

Mother sighed and shrugged as a hint of color came to her cheeks. "It wasn't much. Luke and I had known that my connection with Jaiel, as my daughter, would be strong and I'd be able to use it to find her. It must have worked. I followed my instincts and even I was impressed by how close we got. I heard your voice in my mind, and I followed it."

I smiled and squeezed my mother's hand. She squeezed back.

"We dropped out of hyperspace to some coordinates where, ah, your mother had pointed us to." Thavis stammered, apparently not sure what to call her. "Long ranged scanners picked up the ship. I had recognized it from when I'd witnessed the end of the attack. My scanners were unable to determine if there were survivors on board, but your mother was certain you were there and you were alive."

"You found me with the Force?" Considering the amount of empty space they'd had to search through plus the time limit on my life, I was impressed. I'd been a Jedi for most of my life and I had grown used to minor Force miracles, but every once in a while some instance will remind me just how amazing my job and my abilities are.

"Yep," replied my mother with a grin. "Old fashioned Jedi tricks. They never fail. We were incredibly surprised, though, to find the ship drifting and with no power. I figured it'd been your handiwork, so I knew."

"You cut it rather close," I continued. "I wouldn't have had much time left."

"Hours, we think." Thavis gave me a grave expression. "I'm sure each of us considered the possibility that we'd been too late."

"Well," I said taking a deep breath. "I'm not complaining. You didn't, by chance, feel any holes in the Force, anything preventing you from detecting it?"

My mother's forehead furrowed. "No, why?"

I shook my head dismissively. The ysalamiri must have died in the thin air and the cold.

"Now you have to tell us what happened. We just know you were captured then we find you on a powerless ship in the middle of nowhere," said Thavis, cocking a blue-black eyebrow.

My mother leaned forward. "I'm curious too, you were in sorry shape. Something must have happened."

I paused to think. I had been through the roughest experience of my life. They wanted to know and I didn't have a terribly good reason to keep it from them. I suppose I was wary of the pity and horror they'd probably smother me with, especially with my mother present. With a deep breath, I decided that what I'd been through had to be shared. These three people had done so much for me; I owed them each my life.

"I have to say, first, that it was probably the worst thing I've ever been through. I dealt with it, and I don't want pity or anything. I'm only telling you because the Aristocracy needs to know what happened."


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer

A/N: This chapter might seem boring, but there's more twists...keep with it!

* * *

Launching into my tale, I told them everything I'd remembered since splitting with Corva. While the words left my mouth, part of my mind analyzed my own reaction. It was different in retrospect. I was able to distance myself from the painful memories while my companions grew increasingly concerned and stunned as I talked. The grip my mother had on my hand slowly tightened, occasionally she squeezed so hard the blood would be cut off from my fingertips. Then, she'd realize what she was doing and relax her grip, only to repeat it minutes later.

Thavis, for the most part, was enthralled in my story. His eyes widened progressively, his hands fidgeting in his lap. He'd lean forward during some parts and lean back once I'd explained it to his satisfaction. Neither he nor my mother asked any questions, never uttered a word.

Silent in body language as well as spoken, Corva was nearly impossible to read. He remained leaning forward with his elbows on the table, his hands loosely clasped, eyes to the tabletop. Rather than describe in every excruciating detail what Initor had done to me, I kept those details to a minimum, only mentioning what Thrakk and the Aristocracy would be interested in. Corva occasionally threw me intense glances and as I talked I couldn't help but notice his white knuckles.

"…I gathered what materials I could and waited." A twinge of something from deep inside threatened to overwhelm me, but I suppressed it. I couldn't afford grief or pain right now. I couldn't look at Corva; even the Force sizzled with his outrage. To look at him would break me.

Thrakk was silent for a while, then threw a glance at Cinsin. Fiddling with the recorder, she gave him a nod. I felt light-headed, my breathing felt rushed, my head was reeling. I felt drained. Thrakk stood up.

"On behalf of the Chiss Ascendancy, I assure you the Ci'ssan't will be taken care of. Your suffering will not be in vain. However, with the death of this Initor, I agree with your assessment that a significant threat against the Chiss has been removed. I shall forward your testimony to the proper authorities who will use it against any engagements against these terrorists."

Giving me a small bow, he turned to leave.

"If you please, sir, but what was the purpose of the base on Tesar?" I asked. Thrakk paused and turned back to look at me.

"Why do you ask?"

The truth was, I had absolutely no idea. The question had just popped out. Still, something seemed to drive me onwards. "Tesar was in easy reach of the Ci'ssan't, yet you provided only minimal security and defenses."

Thrakk's face was guarded but I knew I'd hit on something.

"The Ci'ssan't knew I was on Tesar. They only attacked when they did after they'd gathered enough intel to warrant an attack. Why was it so easy for them to succeed?"

"Jaiel…" Corva hissed a warning. Thrakk held up his hand.

"Let her speak."

"They were getting their information from Rotik, one of your high ranking officers." I cocked my head. "Surely that sort of thing couldn't get past the Chiss."

Thrakk didn't speak for a while. I felt Corva's urgency rippling through the Force. Behind him Thavis was alarmed and my mother confused.

"With respect, Aristocra, I apologize for Jedi Stiel…" started Corva

"No, no, Crahsystor," he interrupted, using the Cheunh word for Commander. "She, unfortunately, has a point."

"What…?"

Thrakk sighed. "We learned about the Ci'ssan't presence in that area of space as the base was being constructed. The base was not intentionally under-protected at first. Once Votir'oti'kumvit was put in charge, a member of the Ci'ssan't approached him, promising him great wealth and power if he'd pass on various reports and such. He didn't answer them at first, but approached the Aristocracy. We considered the matter and decided it would be beneficial to have someone in his position to report what he could on the Ci'ssan't and to control the leak of information.

"However, we under-estimated their plans. Once Master Skywalker arranged for your transfer, we saw no reason to screen that information. Never did we realize that they would know about the Jedi and make plans to capture and turn one." He pursed his blue lips tightly. "Rotik indicated that there was some mild interest in you, particularly in your abilities as a Jedi and as a soldier. We knew, but didn't immediately recognize the significance. Once we did, it was…someone's idea to utilize it to our advantage."

"'Utilize'?" repeated Corva. His voice was low and laced with anger.

"The Ci'ssan't threat was the foremost issue. We had to do something about it. Rather than an outright attack on a force we couldn't find, we hoped that they would find Tesar a…suitable target."

In a flash, words screamed in my mind. _Strategy. Trap. Chiss. Lure. Tesar. Ci'ssan't. Initor. Prize. Plan. Taken care of. Ascendancy. Knew the whole time. Jedi._

"You used me to lure the Ci'ssan't to Tesar." It was like I knew all along. "Then what the blazes went wrong?"

Thrakk was unmoved. "As I said before, we under-estimated them."

Corva took a step forward but I put out an arm to restrain him.

"Your 'under-estimation' cost us hundreds of lives!" he growled.

Thrakk's face remained placid. "In retrospect, yes, that is true. However at the time it was determined to be worth considering."

I stared in disbelief. The fact that someone the likes of Initor was able to swoop down and take such a potential dangerous weapon right under the Ascendancy's nose was inconceivable.

"I hope you learned your lesson," I sad harshly. "The Chiss policy on warfare leaves much to be desired."

"Perhaps," replied Thrakk. "But the Ci'ssan't threat was taken care of."

"By me!"

"Indeed."

"You can't possibly say you knew that would happen."

"I cannot. But the Ascendancy has prevailed. Your quick thinking removed a threat."

"I will not be your hero."

He shrugged. "It is not up to you. Chiss do not revel in 'heroes' in any case. But you are still under our jurisdiction and are acting under our orders even now."

I met his half-lidded amused expression with a furious glare. "Do I get to resign?"

"If that is your wish. You've fulfilled your duty in our agreement with the Jedi and your duty under our command. You are free to leave as you will." With a glance at Cinsin, he activated the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have duties elsewhere."

With a brilliant whirl of black Aristocra Thrakk was gone leaving me trembling in anger.

Mother put a hand on my shoulder and I barely felt the calming touch. She laced her touch with peace and love, cooling my flared temper. Beside me, Corva was still fuming, muttering a string of curses only half of which I could understand.

I turned to Cinsin. "I'd like to be shown to my ship now."

The young woman bowed and gestured towards the door.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer again, just to be safe.

* * *

Following Cinsin back to the _Serel_, I ran the conversation again in my mind. I'd been used. I'd come to the Chiss to do what I decided to do. The Ci'ssan't had tried to use me. In the end, the Chiss had succeeded.

I realized my hands were trembling. Gripping one in the other, rather than stopping the trembling I felt it ripple throughout my body. It wasn't just this realization about the Chiss. Relaying my story about my torture had rekindled the memories. Until now I'd been too busy to think about it, it never really sunk in. Now, with the undercutting Chiss plot, I felt my self control starting to break down.

Upon reaching the _Serel_ I didn't talk to anyone, didn't even slow down. I walked straight to my small room and shut the door. I couldn't control the trembling anymore. I sat in the corner, feeling my body shake. All I could think of was Initor's smile, the feel of the collar on my neck, the chaffing of the restraints on my wrist. Her voice was in my head, I could almost taste the blood on my lips again.

There was a firm knock at the door. I couldn't get up, couldn't call out. I wanted to be left alone, I couldn't hold it in anymore. The intruder knocked again, louder and with more urgency. There was a horrible knot in my stomach, I felt I was losing myself.

Whoever it was stopped knocking for a moment. I vaguely heard the sounds of metal scraping against metal, then the door activated. The room was dark, the door let in too much light for me to see. The blurry figure crouched and a pair of hands gripped my wrists in a firm but gentle grip.

"What's wrong, what happened?" It was Corva.

I shook my head, I couldn't answer. "…light…" was all I could say.

The grip loosened. Then the light was gone, there was only the soft gentle glow from the strips of luminescence scattered around the room to prevent pitch black conditions. Corva wrapped his hands around mine, completely enfolding them.

"Jaiel," he said softly. His touch anchored me. It was as if all the trembling energy and the terrible memories stuck in my body now had an outlet. My mind calmed and all the horrifying images faded. I opened my eyes. The dim light illuminated Corva's eyes, giving him a striking look that I was used to but still got a thrill from.

"I…it was the meeting with the Aristocra. It brought up memories of…Initor, ones I didn't want to remember. I haven't had time to process everything, I just got… I guess overwhelmed." Indeed, I felt calmer now.

He shifted and sat down next to me. He let go of my hands which I was reluctant to let him do. Instead he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Finding it a far superior offer, I lay my head on his shoulder as his arm pulled me tighter.

"Do you know what _Initor_ means?" he asked quietly after a while. I shook my head. "It's an old Cheunh word for _Mistress_. Also _Leader_."

Memories of the past started to return, but I was sheltered this time. Our combined strength kept the horrors away. I fell asleep, comforted by his presence.

I awoke a number of hours later, surprised to find myself in my bunk. Sitting up, I looked around, but Corva was gone. I checked the small mattress next to me, and was thrilled to find it warm. I smiled to myself.

Getting up, I stretched weary muscles. I wasn't completely over that trembling spell. Little things, like looking at my wrist, could bring it back. The knot in my stomach remained; a constant reminder that I knew wouldn't go away any time soon. I found myself fingering the place on my neck where Initor's collar had touched. The electrical charge had left a burn on my neck, serving as another long-term reminder.

Straightening my rumpled shirt and smoothing my hair, I went to find everyone. I was calm and collected; now that I'd done what had been asked of me by the Chiss Ascendancy, I had to decide what was next.

The ship was rather quiet but a glance at a chronometer didn't offer any explanation. I heard quiet voices coming from the cockpit, male and female. Expecting to find my mother and the guys, I was surprised to see Corva sitting with Cinsin alone. They looked up immediately when I walked in.

"Hi, I didn't mean to interrupt," I apologized. Corva seemed particularly happy, which immediately raised some flags in my feminine intuition. I couldn't help it.

"No, it is no problem," said Cinsin. I realized I'd never heard her speak. She had a calm voice, ideal for a political position. Her accent was smooth, her tone soothing. There was something about her, though, that was bothering me.

"Jaiel, I believe you know Cinsin," said Corva. "My sister."

My jaw dropped and my eyes flew open. "I…had no idea. I thought there was something about you, I didn't realize…"

"I didn't expect you to," Corva said with a small laugh. "Chiss relations are not usually announced."

"Well," I said with a breath of laughter myself. "I am pleased to meet you."

Cinsin smiled. "My brother has been telling me about you. He seems quite taken with you."

"Taken, huh?" I scanned Corva's face for a reaction but was disappointed. "We are certainly good friends, I owe him my life."

"While I won't deny that, you did save my life back on Tesar," replied Corva with a half smile.

Clearing my throat, I changed the subject. "So, you're into politics. I imagine you don't get to see each other often."

The pair of luminescent red eyes blinked. "True, I have not seen my brother in two and a half years. His position posted him all over Chiss space; time when he could come home to Csilla, I was rarely available. Aristocra Mitth'rak'kumvit keeps me quite busy."

"I understand. I haven't seen my mother in many years either."

"Your mother is a remarkable woman."

"Yes she is," I said with a smile. "I only hope I can live up to her."

"From what my brother says, you have no worry in that area." Cinsin glanced at Corva and smiled.

I returned the smile.

"Have either of you seen Thavis or my mother, by chance?"

"They both went to make arrangements to return to New Republic space," answered Corva.

"Ah," I replied. My heart sank. I hadn't realized that I'd be leaving Chiss space so soon. Not like it had snuck up on me or anything, it just…came so quickly. A look flickered across Corva's face that I couldn't identify, but he said nothing. With a nod to the two Chiss, I exited out of the cockpit.

I didn't try to find Thavis or my mother; it was a large ship and I doubted I'd be able to find them if they were talking to high-ranking Chiss officials. Instead I left the _Serel_ with the intention of exploring what I could of the diplomatic ship in the next hour or so. Mostly I just needed to get out.

Chiss officers and political officials glanced at me surreptitiously, mostly never having seen a human before. I kept a polite smile on my face, not paying attention to my surroundings but not wanting to project an aura of animosity. I ran my hand along the smooth white walls, even whiter and sparkling than the _Serel_. Not to berate Thavis for poor care of his ship, but this ship was designed to make a proud first impression. It wasn't like Initor's ship; this one had more people on board. This was a different entity entirely, something I could tell intuitively.

Making my way through the ship, no one stopped me. Down one hallway I found a closed door. I couldn't tell you what was special about this door, but though I usually shied away from opening closed doors on strange ships, I opened this one.

With the typical swish of an automatic door, it opened up on a miniature of the observation room that I'd nearly died in. It wasn't a terribly emotional find, the room was different enough and I was rather captivated by the view.

The Aristocra's ship was orbiting Csilla and at the moment I could see nearly a third of the facing side of the planet. It was incredibly beautiful. While the Chiss were rather quiet about, well, just about everything, I did know that their planet was caught in an ice age. The Chiss had persevered and prospered, adapting to the climate change. They controlled a large portion of the Unknown Regions, as it had been called years past.

Still, the white planet was marbled with dark gray shadows of mountains. From space you'd never know there was even life down there. The brilliant glow filled the room. I knew that this trip wouldn't be possible, but at some point in the future, I wanted to see Csilla. I wanted to see the Chiss race as it was, to interact and learn from them. Corva had mentioned music concerts; that would be incredible. I'd never been able to attend such events. Plus, I hoped for something else that the Chiss had to offer that I would be able to see in the future…

Behind me the door opened. I turned around suddenly, afraid I'd be asked to leave, but was surprised to see my mother. She was alone.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey." I smiled and turned back to the view.

She came to stand next to me. "Spectacular. Looks like Hoth, but I'm sure more hospitable."

Neither of us spoke for a while.

"You going to come back to Csilla?" she asked.

"That supposed to be a trick question?"

"No, it's a straight-forward one."

I gave a sigh and crossed my arms. "I would like to, yes."

"I thought so." Her response irked me.

"Really." I threw her a glance from the corner of my eye.

"I'm not blind, Jaiel."

"Hmph. I don't even know what to make of it."

"Need me to tell you?" she asked playfully.

I shook my head. "No, really, it's complicated. We're good friends, to be sure, but as for anything else…I'm really not sure."

"Jaiel," she said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turned and faced her. "That man spent a week trying to get his government to find you. I have it on Thavis's word that he didn't sleep the entire time. When his government failed and he turned to mine, I never saw him think about anything else. Now you tell me how complicated that is."

"I don't know," I said, throwing up my hands in exasperation and throwing her hand off my shoulder. "I've always worked alone, I don't understand how other people think. We have, well, moments, but they could easily be between friends."

My mother sighed, shaking her head. "If you say so, but you better be absolutely sure before he walks out of your life forever."

I leaned over and put my head on her shoulder by way of apology. "I know what you're saying, and I appreciate it, really. It's just that there are two careers at stake here. I'm trying not to get too involved because in all likelihood we could never meet again."

"You've spent too much time alone, my dear. But I see your point."

"Well, what about you and Father? A comparable situation, if I may say so."

"True," she replied. "It's difficult; I'd be lying if it wasn't. We only see each other every few months if we're lucky. But, when we do get together, it really makes it worth it. There's something incredibly wonderful about knowing someone is out there who cares about what happens to you. But I'm sure I don't need to tell you that."

I threw her another glance. "Is there anything that escapes your notice?"

"Nope," she replied with a large grin. "I'm just giving you motherly advice."

"For once, I wish someone would just tell me the answer."

"No one ever tells you what to do. You always have a choice. Most of the time it's not a problem, in fact most of the time it makes things easier, but every once in a while some decision comes along that requires you to pick from two extremely difficult options. Your choice is between your heart and your mind. It's a decision you'll have to make on your own because no one knows your heart or mind well enough to do it for you."

"The trials of being an adult."

"Something like that," my mother said with a smile. "The decision is yours. I'm returning to the New Republic with Thavis in an hour."

Pressing her lips to my forehead, she left and I was alone again.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: Not mine. Still. After, what? 31 Chapters? Yep.

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For the remainder of the hour I remained in the observation room considering my options. When the time approached, I turned my back on the beautiful silhouette of Csilla and went to the shuttlebay.

Everyone was more or less gathered. Thavis was standing on the ramp ready to go, my mother stood nearby. Further out in the room Corva was standing with his sister while Aristocra Thrakk looked on. When I entered the room four pairs of red glowing eyes and one pair of blue turned to look at me.

I walked forward until I was equidistant from the two groups. All lifted their heads in anticipation.

"I assume you're all still here because of me." When no one indicated otherwise, I continued. "Aristocra Thrakk, I thank you for hearing my testimony regarding the bombardment of Tesar and my experience with the Ci'ssan't. I have no anger towards the Chiss for manipulating my involvement. However, I would like to inform you that I resign my commission among the Chiss."

The Aristocra bowed. "As you wish. Will you be returning to the New Republic, then?"

I glanced over at Corva then looked back at Thrakk. "I am."

Ripples of mixed emotions flickered. The Aristocra bowed again. "Very well. I wish you a safe flight."

Bowing my thanks to the Chiss politician as he exited the room, I turned to Thavis.

"If you please, Captain, we will be leaving in a few minutes."

With a quick nod he turned and vanished into the ship. My mother gave me an intense glance then followed Thavis. Turning my attention to the remaining Chiss I took a deep breath.

Cinsin gave me a kind smile. "We will be sorry to see you go. You have done much for the Chiss."

"I am sorry too, but I intend to return someday and learn more about your people. I hope we will meet again." I returned the smile.

"It is my wish as well." She bowed. "If you will excuse me, I must attend Aristocra Thrakk."

"Of course."

Watching the swirl of black fabric vanish behind a doorway, I slowly turned to look at Corva.

"Do you really intend to return?" he asked quietly.

I smiled. "Of course. But I have work to do in the New Republic. It's time to stop running. By now, most of my enemies will have quieted. I need to return and prove to them, and myself, who I am."

Corva raised an eyebrow. "And who might that be?"

"I am a Jedi Knight." A corner of my mouth curled upwards. "Defender of justice."

A smile cracked on his stone features. "Indeed."

"Once I'm done there, I'll come back. I swear."

Corva took a step forward, closing the gap between us. The air was suddenly electric, my breath quickened. He reached up and with two fingers lifted my chin so I could look him in the eyes.

"I will hold you to that promise, Jaiel Stiel."

Our lips met for the briefest of moments. When we parted I found he had put something in my hands. I looked down; it was a cloth pouch.

"What's this?"

"Something for you to look at during your journey."

Curious as to its contents, I tucked it into my belt and looked back up. "I…thank you. I wish I had something to give you…"

"You have," he interrupted. "You have."

I gave a small shrug. "You're right. I gave you the only thing I had; my heart."

"Hmm. Poetic."

"Can't help it. You bring out my artistic side."

"You'd better get your artistic side onto that shuttle."

Leaning forward I buried my face in his uniform, stifling a snort of laughter. "I will say you have mastered Basic sarcasm and humor, my friend."

"You sound surprised. Need I remind you of how long I had to suffer through your sarcasm and humor?"

"Not long enough," I replied wistfully.

Corva grunted. "Agreed."

"I love it when you do that."

"When I do what?"

"You grunt in response to something I say."

"Hadn't noticed."

I sighed and leaned against him, unable to release him. His arms wound around me and I knew he was having the same problem.

Duty finally won out again and I pulled away from him.

"Take care, Corva."

"Fare well, Jaiel. May the Force be with you since I cannot."

Our hands parted. I turned my back and walked towards the shuttle. I didn't look back. In my mind I saw him as I remembered him from out last parting on Tesar; tall, arms crossed, stern expression. I knew behind me, on the deck of the diplomatic Chiss vessel, he was standing tall with his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.

On the shuttle, neither my mother nor Thavis said a word as I joined them in the cockpit. I kept my internal turmoil to myself, slowly reverting to my usual Jedi focus. It was difficult, but I had made my decision and knew it was the right one. As the _Serel_ exited the shuttlebay, Thavis pointed her briefly towards the blinding whiteness of Csilla. I regretted that I'd never been able to visit the planet, but I knew I would be back someday.

The jump into hyperspace immediately brought a pang in my chest. To alleviate it, I considered taking a look at the pouch Corva had given me, but I wasn't ready. Instead I wandered back into the familiar back rooms, curled up on a bunk and took a nap. When I woke up, I wandered out of my room and saw my mother sitting alone at a small table. Looking up at me, she smiled.

"Hey, sleep good?"

"Yeah, actually. At this rate I should be fully caught up in about five weeks."

She gave a laugh. I sat across from her watching her play with something in her hands. Both of us were silent.

"So you're not going to say anything?" I asked.

"Say about what?"

"My decision."

Her eyebrows rose.

"It's just…after what you told me, I thought you'd disagree."

"Jaiel…" She sighed and put a hand on my arm. "You're my daughter and I love you to death; I only want you to be happy. But you're an adult; I know that any decision you make is one you've carefully considered. None of this is about what I want. I know you did what you had to do and that's good enough for me."

Closing my eyes, I sighed. "Thanks. I guess I was just looking for an argument so I could convince myself that it was indeed the right decision."

"Quit second-guessing yourself."

"Do I do that often?"

My mother thought for a moment then shrugged. "Somewhat. I'll grant you the whole Dle'kit'tha fiasco; that exploded far out of proportion."

I rested my head on a hand. "I wonder how that's going to go over when I get back."

"I can't really say, I spent the last year or so on Kiparthya. Luke seems hopeful, though."

"He's always hopeful, it's what he does."

"True," she laughed. "It'll be fine. By now, they should have realized what you've done was for the better. They probably won't be terribly friendly, but you can deal with that."

"It doesn't matter anymore anyways." I shrugged. "Everything's different now."

My mother smiled, gave a laugh and looked down at her hands. "Yes, it is."

She went back to playing with that same object again. Through the slow motion of her fingers I caught a glimpse of green. It was the stone of the necklace my father had given her before they were married.

Alone later in my room, I happened to notice the pouch that Corva had given me. Curious but still reticent, I cautiously loosened the opening and pulled out its contents. The first thing that came out was a portable holographic display. It was round and fit easily in my palm. I set it aside and looked at the only other object.

It was a bracelet. Made of some completely fascinating but unfamiliar material, it had the flexibility of leather but was shiny and unbreakable like metal. Inscribed along its length was a flowing artistic design. Breathless with admiration at such a beautiful piece of art, I fastened it around my wrist. I wasn't ready to watch the holographic recording so I put the display back into the pouch. The bracelet remained on my wrist.

Upon reaching the New Republic, my mother and I had to leave the _Serel_ to board a New Republic ship headed towards Coruscant. We weren't keen to part; all three of us had been through a lot together. With promises to visit and keep in touch, my mother and I managed to leave without shedding too many tears. While we waited for our shuttle to arrive, I watched as the graceful lines of the _Serel_, so alien in the spaceport, lifted and faded into the black horizon of space. Another pang and another promise to return.

By the time we arrived on Coruscant, everything from the past year or so faded into something akin to a dream. Images of Tesar, Csilla, the _Serel_; they all faded. Greeted by the familiar brilliant glittering of the City Planet of Coruscant, I felt as if I had never left.

After landing at our designated platform, I was surprised but happy to see that there were no raucous crowds waiting for me. All that greeted me was the constant hum of activity and life. It was so different from Tesar; there was so much movement here. Even by the time we got to the Jedi Temple I still remained rather overwhelmed.

Master Skywalker greeted me with a kind hug and a smile. After giving him a brief synopsis of what happened with a promise to give him the details later, I was allowed to spend the night. The next day my duties as a Jedi Knight resumed.


	32. Chapter 32

[Disclaimer]

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading, I hope you enjoy the conclusion. Please review and tell me what I did wrong/right so that I don't keep uploading crap.

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Several Months Later

Nervously I hesitated in front of the door. I knew it was the right place, Cinsin's instructions had been clear and direct. Still, I was afraid; afraid of the reception I would receive on the other side. I took advantage of my indecision to glance around behind me. I was certainly gathering several curious looks—why is a human female standing in front of a greenhouse in the middle of Csaplar? The reason was, frankly, none of their business. I turned back to the door and ignored the red-eyed stares. Live for the moment, I reminded myself. Taking a deep breath, I activated the door.

With the surface of Csilla being as it was, the only haven for the Chiss had become greenhouses. The surface remained hostile to them and downright deadly to humans. Even walking around Csaplar I had to wear a coat. The environment in the greenhouse, however, was significantly warmer. Special heaters provided the adequate temperature and bright natural lighting enhanced by technology allowed the vegetation to flourish. This particular greenhouse seemed designed for more aesthetic purposes; among the trees and shrubs were flowers. I wanted to take a closer look, especially at the various species of flowers, but I had a more pressing matter to look to. Peering around corners and between rows of trees, finally I found him.

On a bench across from a stand of trees accented by a simple fountain, staring intently at a datapad, sat Corva. As I watched, he finished what he was reading and with a particularly angry glare at the datapad tossed it onto the bench beside him. Suddenly he turned and looked in my direction, the glowing red eyes burrowing into mine. I gave a small smile, but he turned away dismissively to stare at the fountain. At first I wondered if he had seen me, but I knew he had looked directly at me for several seconds. Not exactly what I expected, but I had come too far to be ignored by Selic'orv'aulis.

Approaching the bench I sat down next to him, moving the datapad out of my way. There was no movement of his head but I knew he was tracking me. Still failing to elicit a response, I lay my hand on his pale blue one.

Corva jumped, his head whipping around to stare at me with widened eyes. His suddenly movement startled me, but I didn't remove my hand, nor he his.

"Hi," I said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

His eyes narrowed to red slits. I sensed disbelief as he studied me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, growing concerned.

There was a prolonged pause. "No, I don't believe so," he replied, his expression beginning to relax. "You've just never…touched me before."

"Touched you…" I searched his face for a clue then understood. Our hands were still touching; I wrapped my fingers around his. "I'm here now, it's really me." I was concerned, Cinsin had never mentioned this. But even as I watched, I saw him regain his faculties.

Corva glanced down at our enjoined hands then back up at me. "Why did you come back?"

"Well, I heard you were on leave for a few weeks and the timing just seemed to work out."

A blue-black eyebrow cocked and a crooked smile crept onto his lips. "I sense Cinsin's hand in this."

"Your sister is more devious than you imagine," I replied.

He grunted in reply then looked away. We both remained silent.

"Eight months is a long time," he said quietly.

"I know, but it was necessary." I wanted to tell him, to make him understand that I finally had things figured out; I'd finally learned to let go of the past and live in the moment. That ever mission I went on I thought of you. That each time I faced death you were on my mind. That when I was finally ready to listen to the holo you'd given me when we parted, I knew I couldn't take it anymore. That when Cinsin mentioned you were on leave I knew it was time. "I won't leave again."

Again the piercing ruby gaze. "Is that a promise, Jaiel Stiel?"

I met the gaze unflinchingly. "Have you ever known me to break a promise?"

"No," he said after a moment. "Although if you continue to spend time with my sister, I'm going to have to be careful."

I chuckled and rested my cheek on his shoulder. Closing my eyes, the rest of my senses became nearly overwhelmed. I was happy, probably the happiest in years. I felt the warmth of Corva's hand, felt the rough fabric against my cheek. A slight breeze from the fans blew against my face, bringing with it the scent of unfamiliar flowers. The leaves rustled.

Corva lifted his arm and I was afraid he was going to leave, but instead he repositioned it warmly around my shoulders. Delighted in the additional warmth, I lay my head on his chest as his arm tightened, bringing me closer. His other hand remained intertwined with mine.

"I'll never leave you, Corva," I said. "Everything's different now."

Corva idly ran his thumb along the delicate engraving on my bracelet. "Yes. Yes it is."


End file.
